Beal High School


Beal High School is a coeducational secondary school and sixth form with academy status, located in Redbridge, Greater London, England.
The school begins at Year 7 and continues with compulsory schooling through to Year 11. Years 12 and 13 form the optional 6th form.
In 2014 it added a business hub and media block.
The school also has a Communications and Learning Department for students on the autistic spectrum.
Beal High school is also the sponsor of The Forest Academy, and the Beacon Business Innovation Hub. These schools, alongside the autistic provision form the Beacon Multi Academy Trust.

History

Today, Beal High School is a mixed comprehensive school for students aged 11–18.
Its roots go back to the foundation of a senior department to South Park School in 1908. In 1931 it was transferred to Ley Street as Beal Modern School. The Boys’ and Girls’ schools functioned as separate units, although on the same site. They became grammar schools in 1948. In 1957 the Boys’ school moved to the present Woodford Bridge Road site. By 1982, Beal High School had become fully comprehensive. The transition had started in 1976, with the first comprehensive entry, and when the first girls arrived at the school.
A further transition took place in the life of Beal High School in 1997 when, as a result of the shortage of secondary school places in the London Borough of Redbridge, Beal High School expanded from 6 forms of entry to 8 forms of entry.
As a result of the need to accommodate extra students, an enormous building programme took place. Not only were new classrooms built, but also extra specialist facilities:
Drama Studios, Science Laboratories, a Library Resource Centre, Information Technology rooms, Sixth Form facilities, a new administrative area and expanded dining hall. In addition, the building programme was utilised to provide refurbished suited accommodation for all departments and to improve the circulation of students around the school.
The new classrooms and specialist rooms complement the existing facilities. Beal also opened a specialist provision for students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder in September 2001, which is based in a new specialist building. This provides an opportunity for students to continue with their education at a secondary school and be integrated into mainstream lessons as much as possible.
In May 2007 the newly built ‘Media Factory’ was opened, providing a centre and a focus for the media arts specialist status. This facility comprises four purpose built classrooms, office spaces and a broadcasting studio.
In 2010 a new Sixth Form Centre was opened. This is a dedicated centre for Sixth Form students. It contains classrooms, private study rooms with IT facilities, a mentoring office and Common Room. There is also a coffee and food bar to offer refreshments for students, staff and visitors.
Expansion 2013
Beal High School has expanded to 12 forms of entry. To accommodate the extra students, a new building and facilities has been built; this in turn means that the current site can be developed. To create capacity for the additional 4 forms of entry in 2013 the Sixth Form block was expanded to allow more post 16 teaching to take place in this area. This has created space in the main school building for the additional students.
To support CLD students’ progression routes two classrooms for post 16 provision has been built adjacent to the CLD building.
In September 2014 the new building opened to provide an additional 72 classrooms, including three ICT suites, a new sports hall, dance studio and drama facilities.
Beacon 14-19 Business Innovation Hub, a free school approved by the DfE, opened in September 2014.
The school converted to academy status on 1 February 2014. The name of the Trust changed from Beal Multi-Academy Trust to Beacon Multi-Academy Trust in 2016.

Students

Most of Beal's students come from Park hill Primary School, Redbridge Primary School, Glade Primary School, Gearies Junior School, Highlands, Grangewood Independent School.
The uniform is a light tan brown for years seven to nine and a dark brown for years ten to eleven. Year 12 and 13 students studying in the sixth form have a uniform code of business wear, as opposed to previously having a navy blue uniform.
At September 2013 the school increased to twelve forms of entry.

Staff

The headteacher is Miss Wilmot. The headteacher before was Mr John Manuel who became head of the Grammar School in 1972 and oversaw the transition from Grammar to Comprehensive. The last Head of Beal as purely a Grammar School was Dr Elvet Lewis. In March 2016 it was announced that Sue Snowdon was to retire from her position as Headteacher in April 2016.
The School was recently designated as a 'Highly Achieving Specialist School'. Ofsted rate the school as Outstanding.
The school offers extra-curricular activities including a radio station 'Radio XL' that broadcasts locally for a week each year, and musical theatre productions. Students get the chance to participate in debating, enterprise activities a wide range of sport teams and musical groups.

Notable former pupils