Becket Keys Church of England School

Becket Keys Church of England School is a free school established in Brentwood, Essex, England in 2012. It was the first Church of England secondary school to be established as part of the free schools programme. The school is sponsored by Russell Education Trust.

Becket Keys Church of England School
Becket Keys school badge
Address
Sawyers Hall Lane

Brentwood
,
Essex
,
CM15 9DA

England
Coordinates51.6269°N 0.3016°E / 51.6269; 0.3016
Information
TypeFree school
MottoFaith in learning – Et in Doctrina Fidei
Religious affiliation(s)Church of England
Established2012
Department for Education URN138239 Tables
OfstedReports
HeadteacherAndrew Scott-Evans
GenderCoeducational
Age11 to 18
Enrolment950
Colour(s)  Purple
  Gold
  Black
  Grey
Websitehttp://www.becketkeys.org/

The head teacher of Becket Keys is Andrew Scott-Evans. He was also the original proposer for the school.[1] The school was officially dedicated by Bishop John Wraw on 5 October 2012. It has been established at the former campus of Sawyers Hall College.

The school received a judgement of Outstanding at its first full Ofsted inspection in May 2014.[2] The school also received a judgement of Outstanding at its first full Church of England inspection in January 2016 Becket Keys Church of England School SIAMS Inspection

Pre-opening History

The idea for Becket Keys Church of England School was put forward by Andrew Scott Evans who was then the head teacher of St Thomas of Canterbury Junior School and Iain Gunn head teacher of St Peter's Primary School South Weald. Emma-Jane Sharp, who is now the deputy head, also had a huge impact on the opening of the school. They said there was a need for a Church of England secondary school in Brentwood, as there were eleven Church of England primaries, but no equivalent secondary option.[3] They formed a project steering group, comprising local parents; local primary head-teachers; and the Diocese of Chelmsford. In April 2011 the group selected the Russell Education Trust as their educational partner.[4] Collectively they formed the Becket Keys CofE Free School Trust.[5]

In June 2011, the Becket Keys CofE Free School Trust submitted a Free School proposal to the Department for Education (DfE) along with evidence of support from over 1,100 local parents.[6] They were interviewed by the DfE about their proposal on 9 August 2011,[7] and just over a month later they were granted approval by the Secretary of State for Education to establish the school.[8]

Andrew Scott Evans was appointed as the school's founding head-teacher in February 2012.[1]

A statutory public consultation period ran from March to April 2012,[9][10] after which the school proposers signed a Model Funding Agreement with the Secretary of State.[11][12]

The school opened in September 2012 with 123 Year 7 pupils,[13] and nine teachers.[14]

Opposition & Criticism

The statutory consultation that preceded the signing of the free school funding agreement, received 212 responses, of which 22 (10.5%) were against the Becket Keys CofE Free School Trust entering into an agreement with the Secretary of State.[10]

The approval of Becket Keys was opposed by some people who wanted the Sawyers Hall Lane site to be used for a studio school[8] or a university technical college instead.[10][15]

The appointment of the founding head-teacher attracted comment because he had not previously taught at a Secondary School.[16]

Feedback received during the pre-opening statutory consultation led to a change in the school's proposed admissions policy,[10][17] which in turn resulted in criticism from some of the school's original supporters.[18] The admissions policy of the school has drawn criticism from other people too.[19][20]

The opening of the school in September 2012 was blamed by some people for a drop in pupil numbers at two other local secondary schools.[21] The Department for Education later released the impact assessment used in their decision to open the school,[22] and by 2014, following improvements in performance, all but one of the secondary schools in Brentwood was full.[23]

As a new school Becket Keys benefited from a start-up grant to cover its initial set-up costs.[24] A local newspaper claimed that Becket Keys students would therefore receive more funding per head compared to students in established local schools, but that claim was refuted by the school's headteacher.[25]

New Buildings and Facilities

The school has received Government funding for new buildings. T&B Contractors have completed two phases of extensive improvement works. Firstly a £3,400,000 phase 1 programme was completed which ensured the school opened on time and made the site secure with a new boundary fence and wall.[26] Secondly, a £4,000,000 refurbishment programme of the buildings was concluded in 2015. These extensive works included landscaping, new security systems, redecorating every area of the school, installing new windows and doors, new heating and lighting.[27] Also at this time all the new ICT infrastructure was installed. The IT management company Joskos have said that the Russell Education Trust is one of their most significant customers with £750,000 being spent with the supplier.[28][29]

In 2017, Becket Keys added a new teaching block, 'The Welby Building', to house its new sixth form.[30][31] This new building was opened by Bishop Stephen Cotterell.[32]

In 2018, Becket Keys added a new Sports Hall. This was opened by Joe Terrell (West Ham FC) in September 2018[33]

References
  1. "Christian school puts its faith in head who pioneered new vision | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 13 February 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  2. "School Report: Becket Keys Church of England Free School" (PDF). Becket Keys School Website. Ofsted. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  3. "Heads have a vision for Christian school in the town". This is Total Essex. 29 March 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  4. Meyler, Piers (20 April 2011). "Educational trust lends its weight to Christian school". Brentwood Gazette. Archived from the original on 10 June 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  5. "Company Check for Becket Keys Church of England Free School Trust". Company Check. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  6. "Parents overjoyed at campaign outcome | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  7. "Church school faces its last test | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 3 August 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  8. "Brentwood free school to be the largest in the country | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 13 October 2011. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  9. "Parents will have chance to make views known on Becket Keys school | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 25 February 2012. Archived from the original on 1 March 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  10. "Consultation: Report on outcomes". Becket Keys School Website. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  11. "Free Schools model funding agreement". DfE Website. Archived from the original on 19 February 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  12. "Free Schools model funding agreement: Single academy trusts". Department for Education Website. Archived from the original on 29 December 2013. Retrieved 16 May 2013.
  13. "England's largest secondary free school opens in Brentwood | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 5 September 2012. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  14. "Teachers taking classes at new school revealed | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 14 June 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  15. "sawyers hall: Vocational education 'fills a gap in town's needs' | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 26 May 2011. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  16. "New head has never taught senior pupils". This is Total Essex. 8 February 2012. Archived from the original on 12 February 2012. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  17. "New Becket Keys school is accused of 'creaming off' best pupils | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 5 April 2012. Archived from the original on 24 May 2013. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  18. "Brentwood's Becket Keys school in conflict with its own supporters | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 27 June 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  19. "Largest proposed Free School attempts to increase religious discrimination by circumventing faith-based admissions and employment laws". Humanist UK. British Humanist Association. Retrieved 27 June 2017.
  20. "Becket Keys Church of England Free School, Brentwood". MumsNet.
  21. "New Brentwood free school is blamed for drop in pupil numbers | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 28 March 2012. Archived from the original on 4 April 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  22. "Becket Keys Free School : Impact Assessment – Section 9 Academies Act Duty" (PDF). Department for Education. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 15 February 2014.
  23. Meyler, Piers (4 September 2014). "Shenfield High School head: 'Empty spaces down to our reinvention'". Brentwood Gazette. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 6 September 2014.
  24. "Free Schools FAQs – funding". Department for Education Website. Archived from the original on 21 April 2014. Retrieved 14 May 2013.
  25. "Becket Keys pupils get £3k a year more than others in Brentwood | This is Essex". Thisistotalessex.co.uk. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
  26. "Phase 1 Complete at Becket Keys Free School". T and B Contractors. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  27. "Phases 1 & 2 of extensive remodelling and refurbishment to create Becket Keys Free School in Brentwood, Essex". T and B Contractors. Archived from the original on 1 June 2016. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  28. "Joskos Solutions wins five-year schools ICT deal". Channel Web. 27 April 2012. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  29. "Joskos and Becket Keys, Church of England Secondary School". You Tube. Joskos. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
  30. "BUILDING UPDATES Justin Welby Buildin" (PDF). Becket Keys CE School. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  31. "Becket Keys". Innes Associates. Retrieved 28 June 2017.
  32. Limited, Alamy. "Stock Photo – Right Reverend Stephen Cottrell, Lord Bishop of Chelmsford in Essex. Spreading holy water as a blessing. A Church of England Bishop". Alamy. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  33. Anderson, Hayley. "Becket Keys School welcomes West Ham footballer to open new sports hall". Enjoy Brentwood More. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
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