Beckfoot Upper Heaton Review 2026: Good-rated school with clear routines and a strong inclusion focus

Clear routines and an explicit values framework shape daily life here, with “excellence, integrity and kindness” used as practical reference points rather than slogans. The most recent Ofsted visit (23 to 24 May 2023) confirmed the school continues to be Good, with safeguarding reported as effective and a calm, orderly start to lessons emphasised through consistent return-to-learning routines after breaks.

Beckfoot Upper Heaton is a mixed, state secondary for ages 11 to 16 in the Heaton area of Bradford, and it sits within the Beckfoot Trust. The current headteacher is Mr B K Dey, as shown on the school’s leadership information.

From the FindMySchool GCSE outcomes ranking data provided, the school is ranked 3,537th in England and 30th in Bradford for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data). This places outcomes below England average in the FindMySchool distribution for GCSE performance.

A school’s culture is easiest to judge by what happens between lessons and when expectations are tested. The latest inspection evidence points to a strong routines-led approach, with staff using consistent reminders and well-established transitions so that lessons restart calmly after break and lunchtime. The same source describes pupils as polite, welcoming, and proud of respecting classmates from different backgrounds, with bullying described as infrequent.

The values language is unusually explicit. Leaders are described as having built ethos around excellence, integrity and kindness, and this is supported by a separate “5 habits of excellence” focus referenced in the inspection report. The practical implication for families is that behaviour expectations are framed as habits and routines, which can suit students who benefit from clarity and predictability, including those who are still building confidence in secondary school routines.

There is also a notable emphasis on inclusion structures. Inspectors visited on-site provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, including a “vulnerable learner centre” and a nurture classroom, which signals dedicated internal capacity rather than relying solely on classroom adjustments.

Historically, the institution has older roots than its current name suggests. Publicly available background sources describe an origin going back to the late 19th century, with the school’s academy “open date” recorded as 1 September 2015 in official establishment records, reflecting the more recent phase of its governance identity.

For parents, the most helpful way to interpret results is to separate “attainment” (the grades achieved) from “progress” (how far students typically travel from their starting points). The dataset provided reports an Attainment 8 score of 32.5 and a Progress 8 score of -0.73. A Progress 8 score below zero indicates that, on average, students made less progress than pupils with similar prior attainment nationally.

A second data point adds context on the academic profile: the average EBacc APS is 3.01, and the percentage achieving grades 5 or above in the EBacc is 8.7. These figures suggest that EBacc outcomes, as captured are a relative weakness compared with many schools where a larger share of the cohort secures stronger grade profiles across the EBacc suite.

Rankings provide a broad benchmark for comparison. Ranked 3,537th in England and 30th in Bradford for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), Beckfoot Upper Heaton sits in the lower performance band within the England distribution used by FindMySchool for GCSE outcomes.

What matters next is how the school responds. The most recent inspection evidence highlights an ambitious curriculum that is carefully sequenced, supported by teachers with strong subject knowledge who address misconceptions quickly. That combination typically represents the right foundations for improvement, particularly when paired with stable routines and effective inclusion support.

Parents comparing local options may find it useful to use the FindMySchool Local Hub pages to view GCSE outcomes side by side, rather than relying on word-of-mouth comparisons.

The strongest teaching signal from the latest inspection is curriculum coherence: learning is described as planned carefully, building on prior knowledge in a logical order so that students can tackle new content with confidence. Teachers are reported to have strong subject knowledge and to act quickly when misconceptions appear, which is particularly important in subjects where gaps compound rapidly, such as mathematics, sciences, and languages.

Reading support is treated as a structured intervention rather than an add-on. The inspection report describes extra help delivered by trained staff to identify gaps in phonic knowledge, alongside a structured programme aimed at improving reading confidence and fluency, and planned time for reading for pleasure within the timetable. For families, the implication is that weaker readers are more likely to receive targeted support that is systematic rather than purely generic encouragement.

Key Stage 4 curriculum breadth is not fully enumerated in the provided dataset, but the school’s subject information indicates vocational options sit alongside mainstream GCSE routes, for example a BTEC Tech Award in Enterprise being offered. For some students, that kind of option can provide an applied pathway that maintains engagement while building employability skills.

Where Students Go Next

As an 11 to 16 school, the main transition point is post-16. The school’s careers information describes a planned programme and explicit engagement with post-16 providers, including assemblies in Year 11 from local providers such as Bradford College, Shipley College, New College Bradford, UTC, and Beckfoot Sixth Form. This matters because students benefit when post-16 choices are normalised early, rather than being left to a last-minute decision after mock results.

The latest inspection narrative supports this direction of travel, describing older pupils as successful in securing places in education, employment or training, and noting recent apprenticeships in engineering among leavers. For families considering technical routes, that is a meaningful signal that apprenticeships are presented as credible outcomes, not treated as a second-best option.

Because the leaver destination fields in the provided dataset are not populated with percentages, it is not possible here to quantify progression splits to sixth forms, colleges, apprenticeships, or employment. The practical action is to ask, at open events or via the school’s published careers materials, what proportion progress into each route and which providers are most common in the most recent leaver cohort.

Admissions are coordinated through Bradford Local Authority, with Beckfoot Trust acting as admissions authority. For Year 7 entry in September 2026, the planned admission number is 145.

Applications for the normal Year 7 admissions round are submitted via the Local Authority Common Application Form by the national closing date of 31 October 2025. The Bradford local authority guide for September 2026 entry also states that applications open from 12 September 2025 and that families are notified of the allocated school on 2 March 2026.

The oversubscription criteria place looked-after and previously looked-after children first, followed by children with exceptional social or medical needs, then children living in the school’s priority admission area with a sibling already attending, and then children attending Beckfoot Heaton Primary School. After that come other children in the priority area, then siblings outside the priority area, then other children outside the priority area. Where demand exceeds places within a criterion, places are decided by straight-line distance to the school’s main entrance, with random allocation used to separate genuinely equidistant addresses if needed.

Demand data indicates the school is oversubscribed in the available entry-route figures, showing 263 applications for 139 offers, a subscription ratio of 1.89 applications per place. While this does not replace the formal admissions rules, it does reinforce that families should plan for competition for places.

Families can use the FindMySchoolMap Search to check their home-to-school distance precisely and sense-check it against local patterns, bearing in mind that the last distance offered figure is not available in the provided dataset for this school.

Two aspects stand out from the most recent inspection evidence: trust in adults, and structured support for students who need help regulating behaviour. Pupils are described as knowing there are adults they can trust if they have a concern, and being confident that adults will help them. There is also mention of bespoke provision to help some pupils to self-regulate, which suggests targeted pastoral or inclusion pathways rather than relying solely on sanctions.

The safeguarding position is clear. The Ofsted report states the arrangements for safeguarding are effective, and describes routine checks, regular training, and prompt follow-up when concerns are logged.

Attendance is the most explicit pastoral and operational challenge in the latest inspection narrative. Leaders are described as investing in pastoral resources to tackle poor attendance, with the report noting that there is still work to do because missed schooling creates knowledge gaps that make learning harder. For families, the implication is that the school recognises attendance as a priority and has put staffing behind it, but parental partnership remains essential.

The extracurricular offer appears to be used as a participation lever, not a niche add-on. Inspection evidence references a variety of sports and STEM clubs, alongside a wider set of activities that pupils enjoy. The implied benefit is twofold: students have structured ways to build peer relationships across year groups, and enrichment provides positive identity anchors for pupils whose confidence in academic lessons is still developing.

The student leadership structure is unusually specific for an 11 to 16 school. The student parliament is described as having a high profile. “Next gen” leaders work with a local primary school on recycling, including presentations and practical litter-pick activity. There are also anti-bullying leaders and peer mentors, and pupils are working towards the Diana Award for anti-bullying. The practical implication is that leadership is treated as training and responsibility, which can be a strong fit for students who respond well to status gained through contribution rather than through confrontation.

School communications also point to a broad menu of clubs including football, singing club, girls’ netball, rackets, drama, chess and book clubs, and reference a Year 7 trip to Nell Bank Outdoor Education Centre in Ilkley. These are concrete examples that help parents understand what “enrichment” looks like in practice.

The school day is described in the attendance protocol as running from 8.20am to 3.05pm, with an earlier finish of 2.35pm on Wednesdays. Gates open at 8.00am and close at 8.15am ahead of registration.

For travel, the school provides guidance on bus access and references an A2 school bus service, with routes and timetables managed externally by the bus operator.

• Attendance remains a stated improvement priority. The latest inspection highlights that irregular attendance is limiting some pupils’ access to learning, and leaders are still strengthening strategies to raise attendance. Families should be confident they can support consistent punctual attendance, especially through winter months.

• Home to school communication is an area to probe. Ofsted records that some parents and carers wanted better communication on issues affecting their child, and the report states leaders know engagement needs strengthening. Ask what has changed since May 2023 and what channels are used for timely updates.

• GCSE outcomes are below England average in the provided dataset. The Progress 8 figure of -0.73 suggests students, on average, made less progress than peers with similar starting points. This will not suit every learner, particularly high prior attainers seeking a strongly academic cohort experience across the board.

• No sixth form on site. The move at 16 can be a positive reset for many students, but it does mean planning post-16 pathways early, especially where specialist courses or apprenticeship routes are a better match.

Beckfoot Upper Heaton comes through most clearly as a routines-led, values-explicit secondary with a strong inclusion spine and a deliberate approach to student leadership. The latest inspection evidence supports a calm learning climate and effective safeguarding, while being candid that attendance and parent engagement still require attention.

Who it suits: families looking for a structured, consistent environment, particularly where clear expectations and additional support around regulation and inclusion are important. For students aiming for highly academic outcomes across the full cohort, the current results profile in the provided dataset suggests it is worth looking closely at subject-level provision, support plans, and improvement trajectory during visits and conversations.