Sunrise Academy
Church Lane, Lowestoft, NR33 8AXOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
Sunrise Academy is a special school in Lowestoft for ages 9 to 16. It is one of the 357 schools in Suffolk. Its latest Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, graded each key judgement and gave no overall Ofsted rating.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 25 February 2025, report published 1 April 2025
This inspection graded each key judgement and gave no overall effectiveness grade.
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 25 February 2025
Pupils benefit from strong working relationships with staff. Pupils' social, emotional and mental health needs are at the heart of adults' work at Sunrise Academy. Compassionate and kind staff look after pupils well and keep them safe. The welcoming atmosphere means that pupils settle in, usually behave well and learn to trust adults. Most pupils are happy to be at the school. Pupils talk to members of staff if they have a concern. Sometimes pupils have difficulties with relationships with others. Any such issues are resolved expertly by staff, with the involvement of pupils' parents and carers if required. The school has high expectations of pupils. All are pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). They follow a curriculum which matches the ambition of the national curriculum. Pupils enjoy their learning and work towards their targets on their individual education, health and care (EHC) plans successfully. Pupils' wider interests are cultivated well. They represent the school in sports and other community events. They welcome visitors to the Christmas fayre and provide them with refreshments they have made. Pupils are helped to look towards life after Sunrise and the 'into adulthood' event provides helpful careers advice and guidance.
What the school should improve
- Some pupils have gaps in their writing skills and the school does not provide support consistently well for filling these gaps. This means that some key stage 4 pupils' writing does not reflect their level of understanding. The school should ensure that pupils have sufficient support to develop their writing skills throughout the school and that staff have the expertise to do this effectively.
- The school's processes to check that placements at alternative provisions result in the best possible outcomes for pupils are not as developed as they could be. This means that it is difficult for the school and trust to evaluate whether all placements are wholly effective. The school should ensure it has an effective approach to evaluating pupils' outcomes at alternative provisions.
Exam results
GCSE results (key stage 4), 2024/25
8 pupils in the year group
Pupil numbers and mix
51 pupils on roll, with places for 52
Schools near Sunrise Academy
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren School | 1 mile | Ofsted judgements: Good | 0% met the expected standard |
| Ness Point School | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| The Ashley School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Attainment 8: 0.6 |
| Turnstone House School | 9 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | Not published |
| Avocet House | 9 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Free schools special
- Sector
- Free school
- Trust
- EASTERN EDUCATION GROUP TRUST
- Age range
- 9 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mr Patrick Hamilton
- Address
- Church Lane, Lowestoft, NR33 8AX
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- URN
- 149151
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.