The Beacon School

Tradition and forward-thinking dovetail seamlessly at this busy Buckinghamshire prep, which after 93 years as an all-boys school will be accepting girls from September 2026. The phones haven’t stopped ringing since the announcement, and registrations doubled almost immediately. We’re not surprised. The Beacon is as well known for its ethos of kindness and inclusivity as it is for preparing pupils for top public schools, often with a scholarship in hand. We imagine they’re an asset wherever they go – we’ve seldom met such a convivial bunch.

Located on the outskirts of Amersham, the school sits on a residential road in Chesham Bois. The compact site is a mix of original 1930s timber buildings and newer add-ons, including a theatre, a LAMDA teaching room, music-technology suite and a brilliant D&T workshop. At the back are a forest-school area and playing fields, which are receiving a £250,000 investment to improve drainage in preparation for the expanded co-educational sports programme. Other development plans include a new purpose-built nursery and reception block.

A network of minibuses serves High Wycombe, Beaconsfield, Berkhamsted, Chorleywood and Gerrards Cross, and there is a chauffeured car service available for children under six.

The very experienced Nick Baker has been at the helm here since 2022, after 15 years as head of Wetherby Prep. He has an easy manner (much like his pupils) and is fully involved in school life, popping up to see how everyone is doing, keeping an open dialogue with parents and taking Year 5 for geography. ‘It’s a good way to get to know them,’ he says, and it means that when he’s speaking to their parents about senior-school destinations ‘it’s much easier if I’ve actually taught the children rather than just looking at data’.

Mr Baker tells us the transition to co-ed has been a long time coming. A former head had written a paper about the benefits back in the Eighties, ‘so this is not something that’s just come out of nowhere’. Nor is it a business decision (the school is financially solid). ‘It’s been very, very difficult to make a case for why the school is single sex,’ says Mr Baker. ‘Really, the school naturally lends itself to both sexes.’ And he is investing significantly to ensure girls will in no way feel they’re a bolt-on. A dedicated head of girls is being recruited, ‘someone who is currently working in a single-sex, girls’ environment,’ he says. ‘I need to buy in that knowledge because I haven’t lived it.’

The school describes itself as non-selective, and prospective pupils from Year 1 upwards attend an assessment day, where they spend time with their peers, have lunch in the dining hall and sit age-appropriate tests in maths and English. The main entry points are nursery and reception, Year 3 and Year 7.

The Beacon offers a broad curriculum with a strong emphasis on depth and creativity, alongside senior-school preparation that caters to both the 11+ and Common Entrance. Setting starts in Year 2 and becomes more formalised in Year 4, and specialist teaching begins in Year 3, with pupils moving between classrooms from Year 5. Foundations are laid in pre-prep for problem-solving skills, and as pupils move up the school they are appropriately challenged, with top sets often beginning GCSE content in Year 8.

Science is highly practical (‘We haven’t had a single lesson where we haven’t done an experiment,’ the boys tell us), and Years 7 and 8 follow a dedicated enrichment programme and complete a project qualification. In preparation for girls joining The Beacon, the whole curriculum is being reviewed, although Mr Baker says that ‘the whole way we teach doesn’t need to change, but there needs to be a greater tolerance of different learning styles’.

Most Year 6 leavers sit the Buckinghamshire 11+, with many gaining a place at the outstanding Dr Challoner’s state grammar, while a significant number aim for top boarding schools at 13+, including Eton, Harrow, Marlborough and Wellington. Others use Year 7 as a bridging year if they’ve narrowly missed a grammar-school place, and as senior schools such as Berkhamsted and Merchant Taylors’ shift to 11+ entry, more pupils are considering this path too. ‘We don’t push the boys to stay or push them to boarding,’ says Mr Baker. ‘We try to put everything on the table so they can make a conscious choice.’

An inclusive approach sees pupils with mild to moderate needs being supported in the classroom with everything from movement breaks and wobble cushions to visual supports and adapted resources. On top of this, small-group work and laptops allow for personalised learning paths, while targeted interventions mean no pupil gets overwhelmed. We’re impressed by the strong pastoral care too, with school counsellors, mental health champions, nurture groups and weekly therapy-dog visits.

There’s an all-inclusive approach to sport. ‘It doesn’t matter whether you’re the most able sportsman or not – you play,’ says Mr Baker. The boys play the traditional rotation of rugby, football and cricket, and there are also racquet sports and golf on offer from Year 7. In preparation for the move to co-ed, female teachers will join the sports department and hockey will be added to the roster of games.

Drama has a similar ‘everybody in’ approach, with options to take on backstage roles for those who don’t relish performing. Current productions include Year 4’s Aladdin and The Jungle Book, which is being staged by Year 6, as well as more outside-the-box shows – a recent one featured a group of boys supporting the marketing team with social media ideas, including TikToks. And the shows are, says the head, ‘like West End productions. We won’t do it by halves.’

There are plenty of opportunities to perform musically too, with three choirs and string, brass and wind ensembles. Individual lessons are available for almost any instrument a pupil might wish to play – one boy, for example, is learning the harp. D&T and art see children doing everything from pewter casting and oil painting to batik and photography. From Year 4, they also throw themselves into cooking and nutrition classes, getting involved in MasterChef-style competitions that local Michelin-starred chefs come in to judge.

Clubs are wide-ranging, from STEM and Lego to code ninjas and drum club, which was created by one of the boys. Trips start with a night away in Year 4 to full weeks by Year 6; surfing in Newquay is followed by a trip to the Lake District for the Year 7s, and a South Africa cricket tour and football trip to Portugal in Year 8. Leavers also enjoy a full programme of fun in their last half term. A pupil tells us, ‘We go to Harry Potter World, Wembley, Thorpe Park, loads of museums… it’s pretty good!’

Strong pastoral care is in place with a wellbeing lead, on-site nurse and counsellor, a therapy dog and the ‘approachable’ deputy head Mr Miles, who oversees all aspects of pupil welfare. There’s a feeling among pupils that they can turn to any member of staff, whether it’s their tutor or Mr Miles, if they need support. Mr Baker introduced a ‘kindness cup’, filled with sweets and presented weekly during assembly – staff and pupils nominate a winner, who is chosen by the head. There’s a school council, and everyone gets involved in the much-anticipated Beacon’s Got Talent event that showcases pupils’ hidden talents from comedy to gymnastics. Parents are engaged – there’s an active PTA that organises lots of events, including salsa evenings and Chinese New Year celebrations, and is brilliant at welcoming new families.

On the cusp of going co-ed, The Beacon is entering a new phase with confident strides. It appears to have thought of everything to make welcoming girls seamless, from introducing a head of girls to encouraging conversations about what life at the school will be like. One Year 6 boy told us: ‘It lights up a whole half of the world… I’ve heard stories of how having girls can make things a bit more interesting and fun.’ A remarkably mature comment for his age, it reflects the thoughtfulness that is part of The Beacon’s perfectly balanced offering.