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Message from the CEO
As the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and the Executive Headteacher (EHT) it is my responsibility to ensure that we achieve our mission statement which is "to provide the best possible education for our students, preparing them for life in the 21st century, so they can stand equally alongside their peers, locally, nationally and globally."
I was appointed Headteacher of Beacon Academy in 2015, and I became Executive Headteacher of MARK Education Trust in September 2022.
My tenure at Beacon has overseen a transformational journey for our school. In 2019, we celebrated record-breaking A-Level and GCSE results with the Progress 8 measure making Beacon East Sussex’s top-performing school for three consecutive years, as well as being first across Sussex, and in the top 1.8% nationally. Beacon’s results continue to reflect academic excellence with sixth form students excelling despite national shifts in A-Level rigour, and the vast majority of our students' secure places at their first-choice university, apprenticeship or employment.
After a rigorous Ofsted inspection in 2024, Beacon Academy received an Outstanding rating across all categories.
We welcomed Uplands Academy (formerly Uplands Community College) into our trust in September 2022. Located in Wadhurst, East Sussex, Uplands is a good school with vast potential, driven by an inspiring student and staff body. We are proud of the excellent relationships between our staff and students. As with Beacon Academy, Uplands Academy staff have high expectations, are ambitious for all students, and they know them well. We are proud of the relentless commitment to ensuring that we have a unrelenting focus on the child as an individual.
Together, we make a strong, unified team, focused on delivering whole school improvement. Centralised business services support our schools to develop and sustain excellence in every classroom. Our trust’s schools remain oversubscribed across year groups: a testament to our committed team’s dedication to our mission.
Guided by our MARK Education Trust values, we are growing responsibly and with care, and we are currently working closely with another East Sussex school, Hailsham Community College, which is an all-through 2-19 school. Our growth strategy is implemented thoughtfully to ensure that each of our schools retains its unique identity while continuously striving for excellence through collaboration connected by our shared vision.
Anna Robinson
CEO and Executive Headteacher
Message from the Chair
The trust aims to create schools with their own identity, led by experts who provide high quality, inclusive curriculums in inspiring, happy and safe learning environments within a culture of collaboration, delivering whole school improvement by learning from ourselves and others.
Our team of committed, skilled and experienced trustees bring expertise from a range of professional backgrounds including legal, accountancy, property management, human resources, governance and school leadership.
Trustees develop strong and effective relationships with the trust’s senior executive team, that both support and challenge leaders, whilst ensuring transparency and accountability at all levels.
Collectively, the board ensures the trust’s values guide all decision making as we strive to develop and grow a successful, sustainable and highly effective trust that is fully accountable to its stakeholders.
For more information about the work of the trustees, please contact our governance professional, Cheryl Adams clerk@beacon-academy.org.