Alternative Education Service - The Beacon Centre

Pupil referral unit · All-through, ages 4 to 16 · Mixed

Temple Park Road, South Shields, NE34 0QA

0191 454 6254 · School website · Map and directions

OfstedGoodInspected 28 March 2023
Pupils78 Pupil numbers in January of each year: 59 in 2019, 45 in 2021, 48 in 2022, 63 in 2023, 62 in 2024, 70 in 2025, 78 in 2026. Across England, secondary state school pupil numbers were up 10% from 2019 to 2025.
Free school meals83%of pupils eligible now

Ofsted inspection

Ofsted rated this school Good at the inspection that started on 28 March 2023.

This inspection used Ofsted's older format with four grades: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement and Inadequate. Newer inspections use report cards. What changed.

AreaGrade
Quality of educationGood
Behaviour and attitudesGood
Personal developmentGood
Leadership and managementGood
SafeguardingEffective

Read the full Ofsted reports for this school

Source: Ofsted state-funded schools inspection data.

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Results

No test or exam results have been published for this school yet.

Admissions

Apply through the council where you live, even if the school is in a different council area. This school is in South Tyneside. The national closing date for secondary applications is 31 October, and offers are sent on 1 March.

Admissions dates and schools in South Tyneside

Pupils, staff and SEND

PupilsThis schoolSouth TynesideEngland
Eligible for free school meals in the last 6 years 85.7% 36.7%* 28.9%
With an education, health and care plan 12.9% 2.2%* 3.1%
Receiving special educational needs support 81.4% 18.8%* 13.4%
English as an additional language 1.4% 6.1%* 19.2%
Pupils per teacher 7.1 15.4 16.7
Pupils per adult (teachers and support staff) 3.1 10.8 11.8
Teachers who left during the year 14.4% 10.7%* 14.2%*

Comparisons are with secondary schools. Scales run from lower (left) to higher (right) figures. For absence and suspensions lower is better, so their scales run green to red; blue scales describe the school's pupils and staff and aren't good or bad. * Calculated by SchoolScores from the council's or England's schools, weighted by pupils (or teachers, for turnover); other figures are published by DfE. Sources: DfE school census 2024/25; DfE school workforce census 2025/26; DfE teacher turnover 2024/25.

Nearby secondary schools

Straight-line distance. Distance isn't the same as a catchment area.

Questions parents ask

What is Alternative Education Service - The Beacon Centre's Ofsted rating?

Alternative Education Service - The Beacon Centre was rated Good by Ofsted at its inspection in 28 March 2023.

Sources

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Page updated 26 September 2026.