News and events
Our latest news and events give you an insight into life at school.
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Our latest news and events give you an insight into life at school.
An Islington secondary school has marked the new year with a brand new identity, joining Lift Schools, one of the largest academy trusts in the country. Beacon High reopened this term as Lift Beacon High, marking a significant new chapter for this prominent school.
The move follows formal approval from the Department for Education in October 2025, which gave Beacon High the green light to join Lift Schools after a thorough application and due-diligence process. The decision was taken by the school’s Governing Body and leadership team with a clear focus on securing the long-term future of the school and acting in the best interests of its pupils.
The school has built a strong reputation for inclusion and community engagement. Since 2019, the school has made significant progress, achieving a ‘Good’ Ofsted judgement in 2022 and gaining national recognition for its inclusive practices, including features in The Evening Standard and The Observer.
Joining Lift Schools enables Lift Beacon High to build on these strengths while retaining its local identity and inclusive ethos. Lift Schools is a values-driven trust of 58 primary, secondary and special schools, organised through regional hubs and committed to empowering schools to serve their communities rather than applying a one-size-fits-all model. Lift Beacon High will join nine other schools within the London region, including two Ofsted “Outstanding” primary schools in Haringey, and four high-performing secondary schools, including Lift Aylward in neighbouring Enfield.
Dan Shotter, Chair of the Academy Council, said:
“We are incredibly proud of the outstanding work our leaders and staff do every day at Lift Beacon High. The school is well-regarded locally and has built a strong reputation for its inclusive ethos and deep-rooted connection to the community. We’re excited about the opportunities that joining a strong and values-driven network like Lift Schools can bring.”
Alan Streeter, Principal of Lift Beacon High, said:
“Today marks an exciting new chapter for our school, as we join Lift Schools. We look forward to working collaboratively with other schools across the network on sharing best practice and benefiting from the strength of their operational and educational teams. We are very proud of our achievements over the last few years and anticipate bright future for Lift Beacon High. Our school has developed a reputation for inclusivity and providing strong support to keep pupils with additional needs in mainstream education; this is a commitment that Lift Schools shares also.”
Rebecca Boomer-Clark, CEO of Lift Schools, said:
“We are very pleased to be welcoming Lift Beacon High to our network of schools. The school has a strong sense of purpose and is deeply rooted in its community. These values sit at the heart of everything we do. We look forward to working in partnership with staff, members of the academy council, and the community, as the school enters this exciting new chapter.”
