In Conversation With… Ed MacLeod, Vice Principal at Beal High School

At Alps, we love hearing how schools are using our platform to drive meaningful progress for their students. In this edition of ‘In Conversation With…’, we sat down with Ed MacLeod, Vice Principal at Beal High School. 

With the largest school sixth form in the country, Beal High School (part of the Beacon Multi Academy Trust) is a fully comprehensive, diverse and inclusive Academy serving their local community in East London. Offering an ambitious, broad and balanced curriculum, they deliver over 60 programmes of study across Key Stage 4 and 5, encompassing three academic pathways across two sites. 

Ed shared how Alps Connect has supported staff across the school to work more strategically with data, helping them spot issues early and take action that makes a real difference for students. 

Why did Beal High School Choose Alps?

“I do remember there being a need for more forensic access to data. 

‘We were relying on systems that just took too much of our staff’s time and required too much staff capacity. So, we were really interested in getting into a system that could do a lot of the work for us, so that we could actually invest our time in actioning what needs to be done at the other end once the data’s been captured. 

‘So, we switched to Alps in 2010. We have really enjoyed using the service as it’s grown and evolved up into the current Alps Connect platform, which is a really great piece of kit.” 

How widely is Alps used at Beal High School?

“We use it from Key Stage 4 through to Key Stage 5, so we’re talking about thousands of children across about 30 departments and eight faculties. Alps is a really popular platform with staff and students, because we find it’s really simple to use. Newcomers to the school, a new middle leader, can get to grips with it very quickly. 

‘The service is very good, in terms of any issues, getting Customer Service to support, and the interface of the platform is really logical and easy to navigate. You can get to the data quickly, and you can start doing your analysis in a really effective way.” 

What impact has Alps had at Beal High School?

“What we started to see, was a widening of the gap between internal and external students. 

We could pick up on that quickly, so we could put the right support in place to narrow that gap again, to make sure that the students that were new to us were able to achieve just as well as those that had been at the school since Year 7. 

“With Alps, it meant that we went on that hunt, we found it and spotted it early, so we had time to deal with it rather than waiting for the end, for our exam results to come out, where it’s too late to make any real change.” – Ed MacLeod, Vice Principal

The fact is that Alps allows you to be very timely. You can respond quickly to things, which is the business of school leadership, isn’t it? It’s intervening early and making that change before final examinations.”

To see more information on the tangible impact Alps has had for Beal High School, read the full case study here. 

This video was originally published in January 2024. You can watch the full video with Ed here: 

End note from Alps: 

We currently work with over 1,200 schools and colleges and 95 Groups and MATs in the UK and internationally, offering our high-quality analysis at both KS4 and KS5. 

If you do not use Alps, but are interested in how Alps could support you to improve your outcomes, do not hesitate to contact one of our friendly team at [email protected]. You can also call us 01484 887600 and we will be delighted to speak to you, or you can book a demo with one of our knowledgeable team here.