Barr Beacon School
Old Hall Lane, Aldridge, Walsall, WS9 0RF
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Trust
- MATRIX ACADEMY TRUST
- Executive Headteacher
- Mrs Kate Hibbs
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Sponsor
- Matrix Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Aldridge-Brownhills
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,487
- Pupils on roll
- 1,469
- URN
- 136885
- Local authority
- Walsall
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01213666600
About this school
Barr Beacon School is a secondary academy in Walsall. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,469 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Outstanding
- Personal development
- Outstanding
- Leadership and management
- Outstanding
- Sixth form
- Outstanding
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 289 | 258 | 261 |
| Attainment 8 score | 52.4 | 50.4 | 51.0 |
| Progress 8 score | +0.35 +0.19 to +0.52 | +0.19 +0.02 to +0.36 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 60% | 60.5% | 62.1% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 82% | 80.6% | 76.6% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 79% | 88% | 87% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Barr Beacon School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Walsall average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52.4 | 44.2 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 50.4 | 44.3 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 51 | 43 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.2% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 6.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,582 |
| 2023/24 | 1,557 |
| 2024/25 | 1,501 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Barr Beacon School compares
Barr Beacon School ranked 4th of 19 secondary schools in Walsall for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 79% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 51 | 6.9% | 23.2% | 1,469 | — |
| Fortis Academy | 37.9 | 9.8% | 59.2% | 1,210 | 1.3 miles |
| Q3 Academy Great Barr | 44.2 | 7.6% | 26.7% | 1,153 | 1.4 miles |
| Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School | 47 | 8.2% | 51.3% | 788 | 1.4 miles |
| The Streetly Academy | 42.1 | 8.5% | 24.3% | 1,544 | 1.5 miles |
| Arena Academy | 44.5 | 7.9% | 39.5% | 969 | 1.5 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 23.22%
- English as an additional language
- 7.1%
- Overall absence
- 6.89%
- Persistent absence
- 19.46%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Fortis Academy1.3 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Q3 Academy Great Barr1.4 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
Cardinal Wiseman Catholic School1.4 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
-
The Streetly Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Sutton Coldfield
-
Arena Academy1.5 miles
Secondary · Birmingham
Other schools in Walsall
Barr Beacon School ranks 4th of the 16 ranked secondary schools in Walsall.
- Aldridge School - A Science College Secondary
- Blue Coat Church of England Academy Secondary
- Brownhills Ormiston Academy Secondary
- Cheslyn Hay Academy Secondary
- Great Wyrley Academy Secondary
- Joseph Leckie Academy Secondary
- Ormiston Shelfield Community Academy Secondary
- Queen Mary's Grammar School Secondary
- Queen Mary's High School Secondary
- Shire Oak Academy Secondary
- St Francis of Assisi Catholic College Secondary
- Walsall Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Barr Beacon School teach?
- Barr Beacon School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in Walsall.
- Who is the executive headteacher of Barr Beacon School?
- The executive headteacher of Barr Beacon School is Mrs Kate Hibbs, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Barr Beacon School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Barr Beacon School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Barr Beacon School?
- Barr Beacon School has 1,469 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Barr Beacon School full?
- Barr Beacon School has capacity for 1,487 pupils and 1,469 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Barr Beacon School a faith school?
- No. Barr Beacon School has no designated religious character.
- Is Barr Beacon School a selective school?
- No. Barr Beacon School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Who runs Barr Beacon School?
- Barr Beacon School is part of MATRIX ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Barr Beacon School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 52.4 in 2022/23 and 51 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Barr Beacon School rank locally?
- Barr Beacon School ranked 4th of 19 secondary schools in Walsall for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 79% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 27% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Barr Beacon School's absence rate?
- Barr Beacon School's overall absence rate is 6.9% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Barr Beacon School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Barr Beacon School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 1 July 2026.