School's education quality 'requires improvement'

Beacon Hill Community School was inspected by Ofsted in June

A secondary school serving a rural town has been told its quality of education and leadership "requires improvement".

Beacon Hill Community School in Aspatria, near Wigton, Cumbria, was inspected by Ofsted in June, with its findings published in a report this week.

Inspectors judged pupil's behaviour and personal development "good", but found issues with some subjects not being taught effectively.

Headteacher Tom Hailwood said he welcomed the positive comments made by inspectors and, while there was "still more to be done", claimed the school had already implemented "refinements" to address some of the concerns.

"Ofsted observed the respectful, positive relationships between staff and students, where pupils are engaged in their learning," he added.

Reading concerns

The school had 138 children on its roll when Ofsted visited and its previous inspection, carried out in January 2020, had judged the school as "good".

The latest report said pupils were not being taught "the full scope" of the curriculum in key stage three.

"This hinders their achievement and affects their preparation for future learning," the report said.

Key staff were trained to support "weaker readers", however pupils did not have "sufficient opportunities to read for pleasure", Ofsted said.

Mr Hailwood said that since September 2024 the average key stage three reading score had risen from 96.9 to 100.6 in March 2025, meaning students had moved from below the national average to above it.

"While the recent report may not fully capture this success, these results clearly show the real progress being made," he said.

Inspectors found although some pupils arrived "with a history of poor attendance", the school worked with children and families to "address and remove barriers to attendance".