Beacon Friends' Association (BFA)
The Beacon Friends' Association (BFA) is our exciting Home, School and Community initiative. Our purpose is simple:
TO ADVANCE THE EDUCATION OF THE STUDENTS AT THE BEACON SCHOOL
The BFA aims to do this in 2 ways:
- By developing effective relationships between staff and parents and others associated with the school
- By engaging in activities or providing facilities or equipment which support the school and enhance the education of students
How did the BFA evolve?
At the beginning of the 2018/19 academic year, Headteacher Keith Batchelor asked Paula Ghinn, our first School Ambassador to lead a project looking at parental engagement. In the first term, time was spent looking at the various threads of the project, combining feedback from parents, staff and working with the BPA who were our existing Parent Teacher Association.
The outcome
Is a new way of doing things at The Beacon. A new approach with our whole school community at the heart of what we do.
Everyone – parents, carers, staff – become members of the BFA when they join the school. All existing parents and carers are automatically members, as well as exist teaching and support staff.
When your child joins The Beacon, you do too. We are working with you from Day 1.
When you join as a staff member, you join a supportive community of other staff members, parents and carers with a shared vision to advance the education of our children and young adults.
The rationale
Schools have long acknowledged that parental engagement plays a vital role in their students’ education. John Hattie’s ‘Visible Learning’ book stated, “the effect of parental engagement over a student’s school career is equivalent to adding 2 to 3 years to that student’s education.”
Getting involved helps our children, supports our staff and positively influences the ethos and culture of our school.
