The Beacon Vision 2020

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD‐CLASS EXPERIENCE

A 10 Year Strategic Plan

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

Introduction The Beacon is a busy boys’ Prep School and we are justly proud of our pupils’ achievements. We will continue to flourish as we step boldly into our future. I feel confident that pupils, Old Boys, parents ﴾past and present﴿, staff and our broader community will help us on our road to becoming a remarkable boys’ Prep School of national significance. This Vision is the opportunity to look forward and plan, without losing sight of what has gone before.

This is based upon our understanding of The Beacon’s strengths and areas for development. Our aim is to create well‐rounded young men, fluent in a range of skills and characteristics that will drive their future successes. The Vision has been informed by ‘The Big Beacon Conversation’, a detailed consultation with a broad range of Beacon stakeholders. This was conducted through online surveys, meetings and Headmaster’s round‐table discussions, which helped us renew our mission and reinterpret our education for the benefit of all stakeholders.

We believe The Beacon can grow as an exceptional school and a centre of excellence for boys, their parents and our staff through careful implementation of five key components: delivery of exceptional teaching and learning; development of Modern Fluencies; promotion of wellbeing for pupils, staff and parents; development of our site; and the creation of a Beacon ‘Network’. Success will be measured by our ability to encourage initiative, innovation, entrepreneurship and philanthropy in all.

We trust you will join us on our exciting journey to create a truly world‐class educational experience for our pupils, their families and our staff, both today and into the future.

Will Phelps – Headmaster

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

Governor Perspectives I have a long and proud history with The Beacon, first as a parent and now at the helm of its exceptional team of Governors. What is so apparent is how The Beacon’s core values have never wavered. Respect, Kindness, Courage and Resilience and a drive for everyone to be the best that they can be underpin everything this outstanding school delivers. The Beacon helps to develop boys with enquiring minds to be sensitive, mature young men, to make their mark on the world and to be in control of their destinies.

We aim for the first steps on their education journey to be positive and aspirational ones, making the most of all the incredible opportunities on offer at The Beacon.

Charles Miller – Chairman of Governors

As an old boy and past parent, I am delighted that the wonderful spirit of the school remains both in it's bricks and mortar as well as imbued in the boys - they will make friends for life during their time at The Beacon. In line with it's vision the school continues to develop it's buildings and facilities and the infrastructure of the whole site is impressive. As a Governor, I am highly impressed with the leadership team whose breadth and depth of talent and experience underpin The Beacon's excellent reputation and between them they drive the vision forward.

Gerald Bailey – Governor

The Beacon prepares all boys for a bright future, offering a broad range of educational opportunities and activities that enhance their learning. As a local resident of 20 years, I consider the school to be a local gem. Our objectives to strengthen ties within the local area are firmly set out in this Vision, demonstrating a worthy commitment to broadening our reach.

Pippa Kirkbride – Governor

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

Our Mission The Beacon’s mission is to inspire boys to achieve their best within a happy, secure and stimulating environment, providing education of the highest quality, delivered by an enthusiastic and committed team of teachers and staff. To achieve this aim the school will, with the support of parents: • Promote high standards of academic achievement through consistently high expectations and encouragement.

• Nurture talent and provide opportunity for all across the curriculum.

• Enable pupils to develop the social and emotional skills needed to believe in themselves, show consideration for others and value diversity.

• Foster lifelong thinking, learning and communication skills to enable pupils to work independently and as part of a team.

Our Values To achieve Our Mission, The Beacon espouses five core values and all those involved in the school are expected to act in accordance with these:

Integrity:

Behaving with honesty and strong moral principles.

Respect:

Valuing all individuals, having due consideration and empathy for their wishes, feelings and rights.

Achievement: Valuing and aspiring to intellectual, sporting, creative and spiritual success via effort, skill and risk‐taking and celebrating one another’s endeavours.

Wellbeing:

Developing fully as a person, both physically and emotionally, so that children are confident, healthy and happy.

Courage:

Striving to do one’s best and making an effort despite difficulties or fears, building resilience and self‐confidence.

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

The Five Key Components to Our Vision There are five components at the heart of our Vision.

Together these provide a strong and lasting foundation for The Beacon’s future:

• Delivery of exceptional Teaching and Learning • Development of Modern Fluencies • Promoting Wellbeing for Pupils, Staff and Parents • Development of our Site • Creation of The Beacon Community Network

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Teaching

Fluencies

Wellbeing

Development of Modern Fluencies

Development

Community

Promoting Wellbeing for Pupils, Staff & Parents

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Teaching & Learning

Development of our Site The Beacon Community Network

Teaching

Fluencies

9 Wellbeing

Development

Community

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

Delivery of exceptional Teaching and Learning Our greatest asset is our teaching staff. They inspire our boys, and each other, to do well and succeed. Our teachers bring subjects to life. The Beacon must attract the most dynamic, flexible and courageous teachers – those who can light the flame of life‐long learning in each and every Beacon boy. Our aim is to develop world‐class educators who will lead future generations of pupils to outstanding achievements.

Innovation Generating new ideas for boys’ education through a continuous programme of educational advancement. This will utilise a greater understanding of interpersonal skills and the nurturing of Emotional Intelligence ﴾EQ﴿ to develop an innovative curriculum, tailored to the particular skills and talents of boys.

Community Establishing a Summer School for the wider community, focusing on literacy, sport and the performing arts, opening The Beacon to children who will benefit from additional support.

Leadership Recognising the importance of leadership as an essential aspect of the teaching profession through the creation of new leadership opportunities at The Beacon. We will host Future Leader Conferences and provide Beacon Talks on Leadership, Creativity and Philanthropy.

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

Development of Modern Fluencies In distilling the essence of our school, it is apparent that it is not the individual activities which set us apart but the way in which we weave them fluently together through our teaching and learning, the range of experiences on offer, and in the values we nurture in all Beacon community members. We will increase our attention to the development of these ‘fluencies’ in every Beacon boy. Our pupils will leave us with the strength and determination to translate their ideas into reality using a fluent range of technologies, skills, characteristics and tools.

• Qualifications alone do not distinguish outstanding young men. The boys and teachers will be encouraged to show initiative, innovation, entrepreneurship and philanthropy. These will be embedded in our curriculum and extra‐curricular opportunities.

We will work closely with a federation of local charities with similar brand values, with huge benefits to the boys’ values and the whole community.

• We will establish a greater role for Young Enterprise and entrepreneurial activities, as we prepare them for an evolving employment landscape.

• Young employees of tomorrow need to adopt a growing range of quickly advancing technological aptitudes. We will embed these into our curriculum as they arrive whilst ensuring we educate our boys and their families about appropriate use of technology alongside the ‘traditional’ characteristics we continue to promote.

• Our education will better incorporate an understanding of our individual responsibilities as ‘stewards’ of the planet. This will involve an appreciation of the fragility of our planet and the need for a sustainable lifestyle.

• Young people will need a global perspective to find real success. This includes the ability to understand customs, cultures and languages around the world. We will expand our cross‐curricular activities to ensure global perspectives feature strongly within our core academic structure.

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

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Providing Wellbeing for Pupils, Staff & Parents In an increasingly digital and connected world, the importance of the individual and the digital must be equally highlighted to maintain a healthy balance in all members of our community. Wellbeing is a key component in our pursuit of excellence and our aim is to ensure that it underpins all of our activities and decisions as a school.

Strong Pastoral Care Systems The Beacon is a happy school and this is due largely to the strong pastoral systems in place, including a Counsellor as part of The Beacon team. We will continue to develop Pastoral Care by fostering a deeper multi‐disciplinary team approach focusing on resilience and developing success.

Mindfulness, Wellbeing and Lifestyle We will continue to encourage boys to reap the lifelong benefits of a balanced lifestyle by encouraging a sustainable, healthy routine which integrates nutrition, mindfulness, and stewardship of the planet. We will become a centre of excellence for the physical and mental wellbeing of our boys. We will continue to develop our excellent parenting sessions, to educate Beacon families about a positive school‐home life balance.

Our Staff Hiring, supporting, developing, and retaining the best staff are key to the continuing success of our school. The development of an enviable INSET programme will play an important part in this aim, by being designed to encourage a deeper understanding of individual learning styles, growth mind‐sets and outdoor learning, to name but a few. We are committed to reviewing opportunities for all our staff, offering them greater feedback on their performance and the chance to share their development aspirations. We aim to create the time and space for all our staff to further build on their professional capabilities and acquire new skills to benefit both themselves and our boys.

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

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Development of our Site Our site is truly the hive of all Beacon activities. It must be secure, fit for purpose and reflective of the inspiration within. It should offer space, flexibility, and house the developing range of activities we aim to offer, attract the best teachers and pupils, and improve our educational provision.

Following significant investment in the theatre, science labs, classrooms and dining and kitchen facilities, we are actively looking at ways in which we can further develop our site. Our priorities are:

Learning Suite – a Centre for Innovation and Learning We inspire our pupils to engage in the joy of lifelong learning. Our teachers must continually adapt to, learn from, and explore an ever‐changing educational landscape. This modern, high‐tech space will enable our teachers to develop new educational ideas that can be shared and implemented. Teachers will be able to observe best practices and trial innovative new teaching methods and concepts.

Fitness Centre and Sports Classroom This will be an area where we can encourage team‐work with the latest technological advancements in sports, such as a modern fitness suite and spin studio. We will monitor pupils’ health and wellbeing using the latest fitness tracking software, to develop tailored physical training programmes. The sports classroom will enable our boys to develop their knowledge and exposure to the latest sporting strategies and tactics.

Music Hub The creation of a Music Hub providing an acoustic and digital space for our boys to express themselves creatively and enjoy making music with their friends. This open performance and learning space, stocked with equipment including instruments, synthesisers, and recording and playback technology, will encourage our boys to explore, experiment, and work together to create and perform exciting music to inspire future young musicians.

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Wellbeing Creating a space of reflection and care for our pupils and staff, ensuring that there is always a quiet area for personal growth and mindfulness which can accommodate the needs of both larger groups and smaller gatherings.

Existing Site Improvements We will investigate options available to offer swimming all year round in an indoor pool facility.

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TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE

The Beacon Community Network Our community is our lifeblood. It brings together individuals and creates partnerships, friendships and a valuable, lasting sustenance which benefits all. We will aim to strengthen our community, growing our networks and encouraging participation.

• We will develop The Beacon Community Network, establishing a portal for pupils, parents, alumni and staff who are supportive of The Beacon. We will improve our digital communication to all our Beacon friends and foster these relationships with regular reunions and events.

• We will create a database of information that allows our Development and Marketing Office to form a clear pathway for our community to support The Beacon.

• We will increase our fundraising activities to ensure that boys are not prevented from accessing a Beacon education because of financial barriers.

• The Beacon will retain and foster strong links with leading senior schools. We will expand our existing links with top boys’ prep schools, sister schools and nurseries to continually monitor and extend best practices.

• We will develop the Beacon Talks programme to include external and community speakers engaging with topics such as entrepreneurship, philanthropy and innovation. These will encourage our boys to pursue excellence and challenges as part of their broader education.

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Telephone: 01494 433654 | Email: office@beaconschool.co.uk | twitter: @beacon_school The Beacon Educational Trust Ltd. Registered in England No: 01067862 Registered Office: The Beacon School, Chesham Bois, Amersham, Buckinghamshire HP6 5PF Registered Charity No: 309911

A 10 Year Strategic Plan

TRADITIONAL VALUES | CONTEMPORARY EDUCATION | WORLD-CLASS EXPERIENCE