Phoenix St Peter Academy

Inspection of Phoenix St Peter Academy Enstone Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 0NE

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Inspection dates: 12 and 13 November 2024

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Outstanding Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement

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The executive headteacher of the school is Matthew Jordan. The school is part of Reach2 Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Cathie Paine, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Gavin Robert. The executive headteacher, Matthew Jordan, is responsible for one other school. 12 and 13 November 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils, including those new to the school, feel welcome in this happy, inclusive school. They are safe and looked after well by staff. They flourish in this nurturing environment where the value of ‘kindness’ is at the heart of the school. The other school values of aspiration, courage and creativity are evident in pupils’ daily actions and conduct.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils respond positively to the high expectations set by the school. Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn well across subjects. Pupils’ learning is enhanced by a range of additional experiences and visits. For example, pupils’ understanding of local history is brought to life through a visit to historical buildings at the nearby seafront.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school environment is calm and purposeful. Pupils are proud to belong to this school. They understand the importance of positive behaviour. They are eager to help others and enjoy receiving recognition for good deeds such as ‘nicely dones’ or reward points. Pupils’ positive behaviour supports their learning well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have benefited greatly from the transformation in the school over recent years. Pupils and their parents value the education they receive. Pupils do well because highly effective leadership has improved all aspects of pupils’ experience in school.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has developed and embedded an ambitious curriculum. All subjects are planned carefully, and there is clear guidance about what pupils learn and in what order.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Children in Reception learn skills and knowledge effectively to help them understand the world around them. Pupils across the school generally learn well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Early reading skills start from the start of Reception. Staff deliver the phonics programme expertly. Children build on their positive start in early years. This prepares them well to learn to read with fluency and understanding as they progress through the school. Pupils who fall behind in reading are given the help they need to catch up quickly. Pupils have access to a well-stocked library. They enjoy reading books that match their reading ability and are compelled to read another. Class texts support and deepen learning in other areas of the curriculum.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Staff have the right skills and knowledge to teach the curriculum. This means pupils remember what they have been taught. For example, in mathematics, pupils manipulate their knowledge of number well to solve problems. In other curriculum areas such as geography, history and science, pupils recall subject knowledge readily. For example, pupils in Years 5 and 6 understand the effects of air resistance building on previous learning about forces.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Teachers keep a close eye on pupils so they can assess whether there are gaps in previous learning. Staff identify pupils with SEND accurately. Most of the time, pupils 12 and 13 November 2024

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receive exactly the right support they need to learn well. A small number of pupils with SEND do not have activities adapted well enough to match their needs. The school is working on improving adaptations to curriculum delivery needed for these few pupils.

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The school has improved pupils’ attendance markedly. The school promotes positive working relationships with families to remove barriers that stop pupils from coming to school. The school is creative and tenacious in finding ways to reduce the number of pupils who are absent too often.

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Pupils regulate their own behaviour well. In the early years, pupils learn to work together and take turns. Pupils across the school are positive role models for their peers. There is little low-level disruption in lessons. Suspensions from school are rare.

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The personal, social and health education curriculum ensures pupils learn how to keep themselves safe and healthy. They learn to be tolerant and understand people with different faiths or beliefs to their own. Pupils’ cultural knowledge and social skills are enhanced by clubs and trips and participating in festivals and local community events.

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The trust provides highly effective support and challenge to leaders of the school. After a period of staff turbulence causing a dip in standards, the school is now improved beyond recognition. Leaders provide much-needed stability and have built significant leadership capacity across the school. Leaders at all levels are highly skilled. They review their work continually to ensure it has an impact on pupils’ learning and well-being. This has led to rapid improvement in every aspect of the school’s work. The school looks after staff exceptionally well, including ensuring their workload is manageable. Highly motivated staff ensure pupils are served well in this school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 For a small number of pupils who find learning difficult, the school does not make sure that curriculum activities are consistently adapted to ensure learning is as effective as it could be. Therefore, this small number of pupils do not learn as well as they could. The trust should continue to improve this aspect of teaching so all pupils’ learning across the curriculum is consistently secure.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection. 12 and 13 November 2024

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The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 12 and 13 November 2024

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 and 9 June 2022, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this school

 Phoenix St Peter Academy currently has pupils aged four to 11 on the school roll.  The school uses one registered alternative provision.  The school runs before- and after-school provision on site.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors met with headteacher and other school leaders.  The lead inspector met with a trustee, the chair of the local governing body and a trust leader. 12 and 13 November 2024

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 The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, carried out lesson visits, spoke with teachers, spoke with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The lead inspector also discussed the curriculum, spoke with pupils and looked at pupils’ work in some other foundation subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The school’s website and several policies and documents were considered.  The inspectors considered the views of staff by speaking with them and reading 11 responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.

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 The inspectors considered 37 responses made by parents to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View.  The inspectors spoke to pupils in lessons and around the school. They also considered 55 responses to Ofsted’s pupil survey.

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Inspection team

Sue Child, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Becky Quinn Ofsted Inspector 12 and 13 November 2024

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