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Reviewed

The Beacon School

Independent school · Amersham, HP6 5PF
  • Primary/prep
  • Boys
  • Ages 3-13
  • From £16,053 pa
  • 510 pupils
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Big and bustling, the Beacon is a flourishing boys’ preparatory school. Outdoorsy and outward looking, it consistently delivers on its sporty and academic reputation. Boys get a rock-solid education and a self-belief that prepares them for their next schools, but also for the fast-changing world beyond.

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Overview & data

Pupil numbers
510 ·
Religion
None
Fees
£16,053 - £25,812 pa
Local authority
Buckinghamshire County Council
Area guides

Headteacher

Headmaster

Nick Baker

Since 2022, Nick Baker BA PGCE. Educated at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School in Amersham, UCL (geography) and Newcastle University (PGCE). Cut his teaching teeth at inner London state school before being appointed senior master in 2001 at newly founded

Entrance

Age-appropriate assessment for each entry stage. Observed stay and play for nursery to make sure child is socialised and ready. Nearly all go on to reception where it goes to three-form entry (15 in each class). Other entry points (with testing)

Exit

Around 30 leave for grammars at end of year 6 – most to Dr Challoner’s (its biggest feeder school), then Chesham Grammar. School supportive of this, which is not always the case. All children are prepared for the next step, whenever and whatever that

Latest results

There are no results to show for this school. Find out more.

Learning support & SEN

0.2 %
Students with a SEN EHCP
18.6 %
Students with SEN support

Pupils

510
Number of pupils

Money matters

Bursaries offered (usually in years 3-6) up to 100 per cent, according to financial need. Short-term assistance can be given if financial situation changes.

Fee information
£16,053 - £25,812 pa

Our view

Mr Stanley Fieldhouse founded the school with only five pupils in 1933. The charmingly rustic 17th-century low-rise timbered barns and farmhouse building were added in the 1950s. They had served as a local theatre and dance hall before the Second

The last word

Big and bustling, the Beacon is a flourishing boys’ preparatory school. Outdoorsy and outward looking, it consistently delivers on its sporty and academic reputation. Boys get a rock-solid education and a self-belief that prepares them for their next

Inspection reports

The Beacon School school badge

What the school says

The Beacon is a leading day prep school for boys, located in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. From the moment pupils arrive at the Beacon, they are encouraged, educated and enthralled by a dedicated team of staff who have one aim: to make every day at school a memorable one.

The Beacon has as a well-founded reputation in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding counties for being exceptional. It is a happy school where no boy is overlooked and each individual is inspired to fulfil his own academic, creative and physical potential, both in and beyond the classroom.

Beacon boys are educated in extremely well-resourced buildings with spectacular facilities - a beautiful blend of old 17th-century farmstead and barns with new, including a 220-seat theatre, a design and technology suite, recently refurbished cooking and nutrition room, science labs, a 25m swimming pool, drama studio, music technology suite, two libraries, a large sports hHall, two Astroturf’s and 16-acres of playing fields.

All class sizes are small and whilst academic excellence is at the heart of the school, the Beacon is dedicated to teaching boys ‘how to learn’, instilling core learning skills such as independent thinking, communication, teamwork and resilience, preparing them for this ever-changing world.

Performing arts:

Music and drama are real strengths at the Beacon, with over five choirs, eight ensembles and numerous opportunities for all boys to perform, including a range of weekly music and drama clubs for all ages.

Sport:

Sport is all-inclusive and exemplifies teamwork, emphasising the school ethos that everybody matters. Boys regularly compete at county level in cricket, hockey, tennis, athletics, cross country, swimming and rugby. The Beacon has an excellent record of success in many national and regional competitions.

Pastoral care:

The welfare and wellbeing of all Beacon boys is a primary focus. With a full-time wellbeing coach and counsellor, two mental health first aiders and a team of 16-trained mental health champions across the school, there is comprehensive support for the whole Beacon community. The school’s mindfulness programme and peer mentoring scheme is hugely successful.

Nursery:

Little Beacons is an inspiring and nurturing educational nursery welcoming boys from the age of 3, offering early school experiences to encourage development of a love and curiosity for learning. Located within a wonderfully spacious early years setting, Little Beacons take their first steps on their educational journey, supported and encouraged throughout by a dedicated nursery team. They enjoy weekly lessons with specialised staff in music, French, swimming, outdoor learning and games.

Wraparound care: Wraparound care is available for all boys from 7.30am (breakfast club) until 6pm (prep/clubs). There is also a programme of courses and activities available to children aged 3-13 during the school holidays and half-terms.

Transport:

The Beacon offers a wide range of minibus routes as well as an under 6 car service (fully fitted with ISOFIX car seats) for families living in Beaconsfield, Gerrards Cross, Chorleywood, High Wycombe and the surrounding villages.

Last updated 31 January 2025

Key links to information you need

Open days

Admissions

Scholarships and destinations

About us

Upper school programme

Prospectus

Contact the school

Address

15 Amersham Road
Chesham Bois
Amersham
Buckinghamshire
HP6 5PF
Get directions

Telephone: 01494 433654

Email: [email protected]

Website: https://www.beaconschool.co.uk/

Local authority: Buckinghamshire County Council

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School data & information The Beacon School 15 Amersham Road, Chesham Bois, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 5PF
510 Pupil numbers

We do not receive results data for this school. Find out more.

Entry and exit data

Here we report figures on pupils moving between schools at the usual entry and exit points, as well as student destinations into higher education. We publish publically available data for state schools. For independent schools, The Good Schools Guide collects data from its prep schools as to where their pupils go on to. Find out more

Our review contains additional entry and exit data reported to us and is updated annually. See the review

Recent leavers' destinations

SEN overview

The Beacon School is a mainstream school. The school may provide support for students with special educational needs as detailed below. If you require more information on conditions the school can support, we encourage you to contact the school directly.

SEN statement

Provided by the school and not part of our review

The Learning Support Centre at The Beacon exists to help those boys who are experiencing difficulties with academic work by providing assistance on several levels: support to the boys, staff and parents. Most of the difficulties come into the category of mild specific learning differences, such as dyslexia. We have a qualified specialist teacher and a visiting Speech & Language Therapist. We also work closely with the School Counsellor.

Our main aim is to identify boys who need help as early as possible and to put interventions in place at this stage. Research has shown that the best outcome for all is when intervention is in place early in the child's life.

We keep up-to-date with current research within the field and aim to improve the boys' literacy and numeracy skills. We use multisensory methods to try and help the boys to achieve their full potential.

We ensure that teachers in the school are aware of the importance of identifying, and providing for those boys who have specific learning differences. The learning needs of the individual boys are also made known to all those who teach them.

All staff have had access to training in specific learning difficulties.

09-09

Updated Apr 2022
0.2 %
Students with a SEN EHCP UK mainstream school avg. 3%
18.6 %
Students with SEN support UK mainstream school avg. 14.1%

SEN conditons supported

Schools report the conditions they might be able to support. Please note, this may not be a complete list. Find out more.

Conditions (Might cover/be referred to as) Provision
ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder Aspergers, Autism, High functioning autism, Neurodivergent, Neurodiversity, Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA), Social skills
HI - Hearing Impairment
MLD - Moderate Learning Difficulty Learning needs
MSI - Multi-Sensory Impairment Sensory processing
OTH - Other Difficulty/Disability Downs Syndrome, Epilepsy, Genetic, Tics, Tourettes
PD - Physical Disability
PMLD - Profound and Multiple Learning Difficulty Complex needs, Global delay, Global developmental delay
SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health Anxiety, Complex needs, Emotionally based school avoidance (EBSA), Mental Health
SLCN - Speech, Language and Communication Selective mutism
SLD - Severe Learning Difficulty Complex needs
SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Auditory processing, Developmental Co-ordination Difficulties (DCD), Dyscalculia, Dysgraphia, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Handwriting Yes
VI - Visual Impairment Special facilities for Visually Impaired
Our data explained
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