Beccles Free School
| Established | 2012 |
|---|---|
| Type | Free school |
| Headteacher | Nigel Youngman |
| Location |
Castle Hill Beccles Suffolk NR34 7BQ England 52°27′04″N 1°34′23″E / 52.451°N 1.573°ECoordinates: 52°27′04″N 1°34′23″E / 52.451°N 1.573°E |
| DfE number | 935/4016 |
| DfE URN | 138274 Tables |
| Ofsted | Reports |
| Gender | Coeducational |
| Ages | 11–16 |
| Website | becclesfreeschool |
Beccles Free School is a coeducational secondary free school located in Beccles in the English county of Suffolk.
The school opened in September 2012, the first free school to open in the Waveney district. The school was first located at the site of the former Carlton Colville Primary School in Carlton Colville, however in 2014 it relocated to the former lower school site of Sir John Leman High School (formerly Beccles Middle School) in Beccles. The school is operated by the Seckford Foundation Free Schools Trust, an educational charity based in Woodbridge. The headteacher is Nigel Youngman.
There was considerable opposition to the opening of Beccles Free School from local campaigners, head teachers and senior politicians, including the local Conservative Member of Parliament Peter Aldous. The school attracted further controversy when it was revealed that only 68 pupils had enrolled at the school when it opened in September 2012, leading to accusations that the school was a waste of taxpayers money. The school opened with 12 teachers employed and had attempted to attract pupils with offers of free uniforms, school meals and iPod Touch devices. As of January 2013 an additional 34 pupils had joined the school.
In 2013 the Advertising Standards Authority upheld two complaints about the way in which the school had misrepresented the former roles of its then head teacher, John Lucas, and the results of an Ofsted health and safety check. The school amended some literature as a result.
In August 2015 the school received its first set of GCSE results. Just 39% of pupils achieved the government benchmark 5 A*-C grades including English and Maths. These results were below the government "floor" standard for schools and resulted in an external enquiry being launched by the Seckford Foundation. The school described itself as "disappointed" by the results which compared with 67% of pupils achieving the same results at the Sir John Leman High School, the main competitor for Beccles Free School.
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