Sunrise Academy

Inspection of Sunrise Academy Church Lane, Lowestoft NR33 8AX

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Inspection dates: 25 and 26 February 2025

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good

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Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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The headteacher of this school is Patrick Hamilton. The school is part of Eastern Education Group Trust, which means other people in the trust have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Nikos Savvas, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Elton D’Souza. 25 and 26 February 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

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.

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What is it like to attend this school?

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.

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What is it like to attend this school?

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.

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What is it like to attend this school?

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.

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

The school has improved rapidly under the expertise and guidance of the trust. The trust holds leaders to account effectively. Leaders at all levels support staff so workload is not over burdensome. Staff gain from the training opportunities that the trust provides to hone their leadership and teaching skills.

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

Many pupils have gaps in their learning when they join the school because of disjointed education in the past. Teachers take pupils’ individual needs and any gaps in knowledge into account when developing suitable learning activities. Staff have sound subject knowledge. They link learning to pupils’ interests, which motivates them. Staff talk to pupils constantly to check on pupils’ understanding, adjusting teaching as necessary. This effective checking of understanding ensures pupils’ needs are met, so they learn well.

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

The school prioritises reading. Teachers check pupils’ reading skills when they join the school. Well-trained staff provide effective support, so pupils catch up with their reading skills if they have fallen behind. Pupils read daily, either through well-chosen texts or for a particular purpose in other subjects, such as instructions in food technology. Pupils become more fluent and confident readers.

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

The school provides meaningful opportunities for pupils to write. While most pupils write well, some have gaps in their writing skills, such as the formation of letters, spelling, punctuation and grammar. The school does not provide support consistently well for filling these gaps. This means that some pupils in key stage 4 struggle with writing and are unable to express their good ideas clearly in their written work across the curriculum. 25 and 26 February 2025

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The school has developed a bespoke curriculum for each pupil that may include learning at an alternative provision. The school’s processes to check that pupils achieve as well as they can in alternative provisions are not as well developed as they could be. The school and trust do not have all of the information they need to work out whether a placement at an alternative provision is wholly effective.

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Staff implement the school behaviour policy well. Pupils understand and follow the behaviour system which contributes to a calm and orderly environment. Staff manage any pupils’ occasional disruptions skilfully so that calm is restored quickly, and learning continues.

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The school makes attendance a high priority. Most pupils’ attendance improves significantly when they join the school. This is because the school checks barriers to attendance and helps pupils and their parents to overcome them. Overall attendance is improving and the number of pupils who are persistently absent is falling.

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The school provides appropriately for pupils’ personal development, including helping pupils learn about staying safe and healthy. Trips and visiting speakers help pupils to understand how to be responsible citizens. They learn to reflect and understand others’ points of view. The school organises careers education well, with opportunities for visits to colleges and other post-16 destinations. Pupils are prepared well for adulthood.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 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. 25 and 26 February 2025

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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.

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How can I feed back my views?

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). 25 and 26 February 2025

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School details

School category Academy special sponsor-led

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school opened on 1 April 2022 as part of the SENDAT Trust. In September 2024 SENDAT Trust was merged with Eastern Education Academy Trust to form Eastern Education Group Trust.  The school uses eight unregistered alternative provisions.  The school provides for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils have an EHC plan.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and 25 and 26 February 2025

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management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, leaders, teachers and other staff. Inspectors also met with trustees and trust leaders including the chief executive officer.  The lead inspector spoke with two representatives from the local authority, a representative from the local police and alternative provision leaders.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: English, early reading, mathematics and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors met with subject leaders to discuss the curriculum, carried out lesson visits, spoke with teachers, spoke

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with pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspectors also discussed the curriculum, spoke with pupils and looked at pupils’ work in some other 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 inspectors considered the views of staff by speaking with them and reading responses to Ofsted’s staff survey.  The inspectors considered the responses made by parents to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View, and spoke to some parents on the telephone.  The inspectors spoke to pupils in lessons and around the school.

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Inspection team

Sue Child, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Rachael Judd Ofsted Inspector 25 and 26 February 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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