The Beacon’s COVID-19 Response
Our response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been multi-layered, flexible and innovative. Keeping our community and boys safe and accessing the incredible opportunities and pastoral support that is integral to a Beacon education is and will remain The Beacon’s top priority.
A Safe and Healthy Return For All
In line with the government’s direction, and following a robust risk assessment process and dedicated work behind the scenes, The Beacon was delighted to safely welcome back all our boys to our School site from 8 March 2021. We have recently safely reintroduced inter-school Sports fixtures and are looking forward to sharing more events on site with our Community. Further health and safety measures in place include:
- A requirement that people who are ill stay at home
- Robust hand and respiratory hygiene
- Enhanced cleaning arrangements
- Active engagement with NHS Test and Trace
- Formal consideration of how to reduce contacts and maximise distancing between those in school to minimise potential for contamination so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes: introducing a one-way system around the site; staggered start, finish, break and lunch times; avoiding contact between groups; arranging classrooms with forward-facing desks; and staff maintaining distance from pupils and other staff as much as possible.
- All staff and pupils in Year 7 & 8 to wear face coverings when moving around the premises, outside of classrooms, such as in corridors and communal areas where social distancing cannot easily be maintained.
- Staff and pupils in Year 7 and 8 to actively take part in twice-weekly lateral flow testing to identify asymptomatic cases and do their part to reduce rates of infection in the community by following NHS self-isolation guidelines.
Ability to Switch to Exemplary Online Education
From the start of the Summer Term 2020, The Beacon introduced a new online phase of our School’s teaching and learning and pastoral care provision – #BeaconExcellence: Online. This provision was immediately reactivated following the most recent closure of school sites in January 2021.
Should The Beacon need to close the School site again or restrict access to a particular ‘bubble’, we can automatically switch the boys back to our exemplary #BeaconExcellence: Online provision without a break in their learning and care. This would encompass:
- Timetables for all based on each boy’s normal Beacon timetable
- Live lessons in Microsoft Teams combined with a comprehensive range of pre-recorded lessons
- Additional activities in Music, Drama, DT, PE and Games, Cooking & Nutrition and Art
- Live Tutor Time each morning where boys receive important pastoral support
- Daily interaction with class and subject teachers, Form Tutors and, importantly, fellow classmates
- Assemblies, videos and podcasts from our Headmaster, Heads of Sections and Heads of Houses each week
- Access to our in-house counsellor (available to boys and their families)
Future Open Day
Saturday 25 September (09:00 – 16:00)
To safely welcome new families to The Beacon and share with them our incredible School, we have adapted our future Open Days to include individual, socially-distanced tours of our School with a member of our team.
Please click here to register.
Individual Tours
We would also be delighted to welcome you to book an individual, socially-distanced tour if you would like to visit The Beacon before our September Open Day. Simply email our Director of Admissions, Pippa Pearson, on admissions@beaconschool.co.uk or call 01494 432764.
Virtual Open Day Events
Alternatively, you can view our recent Virtual Open Day, which took place in February, from the safety and comfort of your own home. This Virtual Open Day was focussed across three sessions:
- Pre-Prep (Reception – Year 2)
- Lower & Middle School (Year 3 – Year 6)
- Upper School (Year 7 – Year 8)
Each session featured a live welcome address from our Headmaster, Will Phelps, followed by a virtual tour video, talks from senior team members and a live Q&A. Please click here to view the recorded virtual events.
Please contact our Director of Admissions, Pippa Pearson, with any further queries on admissions@beaconschool.co.uk or call on 01494 432764.
