The Beacon College
The Beacon College is a special free school in Hereford for boys and girls aged 16 to 19. It has 39 pupils and room for 60. About 0 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was outstanding, back in 2024.
Eastnor Drive, Hereford, HR1 1NZ01432 353204thebeaconcollege.orgMrs Lisa Appleton headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 16 April 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Outstanding overall.
Getting a place
Open to all. There is no entrance test.
Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Herefordshire, County of council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Severe learning difficulty (11), Autistic spectrum disorder (7), Moderate learning difficulty (7), language and communications needs (6), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (4), emotional and mental health (2).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 39 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 45 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 31% | 28% | 26% | 30% | 24% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 3% | 5% | 7% | 5% | 2% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broadlands Primary School | Council | 30 m | 164 | Good 2022 | 8 | Compare |
| Aylestone School | Council | 190 m | 443 | Requires improvement 2024 | 7 | Compare |
| Hereford Sixth Form College | Academy 16-19 converter | 260 m | 0 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Herefordshire, Ludlow and North Shropshire College | Further education | 310 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Hereford College of Arts | Further education | 380 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Royal National College for the Blind | Special post 16 institution | 750 m | – | Not inspected | – | Compare |
| Barrs Court School | Academy | 820 m | 105 | Outstanding 2022 | – | Compare |
| St Francis Xavier's Primary School | Roman Catholic | 920 m | 215 | Report card 2026 | 88 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is The Beacon College a good school?
The Beacon College doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it outstanding at its last inspection in April 2024.
What is The Beacon College's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Beacon College outstanding at its last full inspection on 16 April 2024.
How many pupils does The Beacon College have?
39 pupils aged 16 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 60 places, so it is 65% full.
Does The Beacon College have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Eastnor Drive, Hereford, HR1 1NZ
- Telephone
- 01432 353204
- Website
- www.thebeaconcollege.org
- Headteacher
- Mrs Lisa Appleton
- Type of school
- Special free school (Free schools special, free schools)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 16-19, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Accordia Academies Trust (3 schools)
- Local authority
- Herefordshire, County of
- Ward
- Aylestone Hill
- Constituency
- Hereford and South Herefordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 September 2021 (new provision)
- URN
- 148636 · LAESTAB 8847000 · UKPRN 10088775
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.