Beacon Status

Beacon Status is a progressive educational initiative that the United Kingdom implemented based on the idea that organizational learning could be advanced through a competitive process of identifying successful organizations and recruiting them to disseminate their good practices. The award congratulates learning providers that deliver outstanding teaching and learning and are well led and managed. Beacon Status schools are partially funded by the Learning and Skills Council. The Office for Standards in Education (OFSTED) and the Adult Learning Inspectorate (ALI) are responsible for inspection and making sure the schools maintain their level of excellence and disseminating their practices. The status must be renewed every three years.

The beacon status initiative was launched by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES) in partnership with the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in 1998. The initiative was discontinued in 2004 due to uncertainty as to whether or not the initiative actually improved schools.

In 1998, 74 primary, secondary, nursery and special schools were selected by the Department for Education and Employment for their educational expertise in the areas of management or curriculum with the strategic aim that these institutions were to be 'held up as beacons of excellence' for other schools to emulate. These schools were expected to maintain their level of perceived excellence whilst, at the same time, attempting to assist others in their development. The program was part of the UK government's focus on school improvement through diversity, collaboration and partnership. The purpose of these schools was to recognize a cross section of educational best practice and spread it to other schools. All potential Beacon Schools were requested to complete a short, focused questionnaire and, based on analysis of this survey, the Department for Education and Employment created a method to addresses the management implications of balancing the existing core function of educating pupils whilst developing support and training facilities for other educational professionals. Findings indicate that effective communication, both internally and externally, coupled with a clear sense of purpose and vision, have enabled schools that qualify as a Beacon school to fulfill both roles.

After successfully isolating qualities that schools can embody to both educate students and develop teachers, the initiative went beyond the pilot stage and expanded further when 125 more schools joined in September 1999. The number of Beacon Schools in operation more than doubled in September 2000 when 300 more schools took on Beacon status. But, the largest expansion was in September 2001 when a further 425 schools became part of the initiative. The number of Beacon Schools reached a peak of around 1150 by September 2002, and this level of involvement was maintained into 2003. In 2004, Beacon evaluation and funding to Beacon schools was discontinued due to uncertainty with whether the initiative actually improved schools. Beacon activity is now decided on a local level, however the principle of schools working together, collaborating to share good practice, remains strong.

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