Ness Point School

Inspection of Ness Point School 32/34 Gordon Road, Lowestoft NR32 1NL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils arrive at Ness Point with previously negative experiences of education. Many have not attended school for a significant period of time. Pupils value staff taking the time to get to know them as individuals. This helps staff to put in place the right support so that pupils can turn their attitudes to education around. Consequently, pupils love attending this school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Lessons are calm places for pupils to learn. Pupils benefit from the school’s clear routines and expectations. This starts from the moment pupils arrive in the morning for breakfast in the common room. Here, staff take the time to check in with pupils to help them quickly get settled into lessons. Pupils behave well during the day. They typically work hard in lessons. This helps pupils to achieve and reach the high expectations the school has for them.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from the wide range of opportunities the school provides. Trips to local museums or to London, open pupils’ eyes to the world around them. Pupils’ confidence and independence grow throughout their time at school. Nothing shows this more than the meticulously planned trip to Morocco in Year 11. Pupils dive into rich experiences when sampling the local culture, cuisine or learning to surf.

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better?

All pupils who attend the school have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) related to their social, emotional and mental health needs. The school’s clear induction processes help staff to quickly identify where pupils have gaps in their knowledge. Staff work together to use information contained in pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans to identify the support that pupils need. Typically, the school is adept at doing this. For example, staff help pupils to plan a healthy sleep routine should they need to. This has a positive impact on pupils’ well-being. However, the school has not ensured that all staff are confident or expert at matching the support they give pupils to what pupils need. Sometimes, learning is not as well matched to pupils’ specific needs as it could be. In these instances, pupils do not learn as well as they could.

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better?

The school has further developed the curriculum. In most subjects, the school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn. It has also identified the qualifications it expects pupils to achieve. Where this is done well, pupils build on their understanding over time. They also achieve useful qualifications, such as in English and mathematics, to help them move to future destinations. However, in some subjects, the school has not identified the important knowledge, or associated qualifications, as clearly. In these subjects, pupils do not secure their understanding as well as they do in other areas of the curriculum.

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better?

The school identifies pupils who need extra help with reading as soon as they join. Focused reading sessions are provided to pupils who need extra support. Staff 8 to 10 July 2025 providing these sessions have the knowledge and expertise required to teach reading effectively. This helps pupils to become more confident and fluent readers.

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better?

Personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education is a crucial aspect of the work of the school. Pupils secure their understanding of important content during PSHE lessons. They develop vital life skills, such as how to keep safe when online or the importance of managing a budget. A core theme of the PSHE curriculum is the importance of healthy relationships. Pupils learn how to build and maintain these. This helps pupils to forge the strong friendships they develop during their time at school. This is also reflected in pupils’ positive behaviour and how they support each other throughout the school day.

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better?

Pupils receive useful information during individualised careers sessions. This helps pupils to identify what they would like to do in their futures. Bespoke sessions help pupils to transition well to their next stage. For example, where needed, staff support pupils with travel planning so they feel well prepared for how to get to their college placements once they leave Ness Point.

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better?

The proprietor keeps a close eye on the school. It has ensured that the school meets the independent school standards (the standards) including schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010. The advisory board provides an appropriate, additional layer of challenge and support. This helps the school to understand where further work is needed.

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better?

Leaders have carefully managed the improvements that have been made to the quality of education on offer. Staff are appreciative of the way leaders help them to manage their workload and wellbeing. This enables staff to typically provide the support pupils need.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 In some subjects, the school has not clearly identified the important knowledge pupils need to learn. In some of these subjects, the school has also not identified the qualifications pupils can achieve. Consequently, some pupils do not develop as full an understanding of the curriculum in these subjects as they do in others or have the same opportunities to achieve qualifications. The school should clearly identify the important knowledge pupils will learn over time in these subjects including, where appropriate, the qualification pathways available to pupils.  Sometimes, lessons are not as well matched to pupils’ needs as they could be. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well as they might. The school should 8 to 10 July 2025 ensure all staff have expertise in how to plan for, and meet the needs of, all pupils effectively.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to 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. 8 to 10 July 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 148425 DfE registration number 935/6029

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School details

Inspection number 10374848 Type of school Other Independent Special School

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School details

Headteacher Gary Corbett (executive headteacher)

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School details

Annual fees (day pupils) £49,100 to £50,100

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 8 to 10 November 2022 8 to 10 July 2025

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Information about this school

 The school operates from two sites. One is located at 32/34 Gordon Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 1NL. The other site is located at 28 Gordon Road, Lowestoft, Suffolk, NR32 1NL.  The proprietor body is PCT Education. It runs this school and one other independent school.  There is an advisory board which is responsible for monitoring the performance of the school.  The school is registered to admit up to 50 pupils between the ages 11 and 16.  All pupils who attend the school have SEND needs linked to their social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils have an EHC plan.  All pupils are referred to the school by their local authority.  The school currently uses two unregistered alternative providers.  The executive headteacher joined the school in September 2023. He is responsible for both schools in the proprietor group. The deputy headteacher joined the school in September 2024.  Some staff are employed to work across both schools in the proprietor group.

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Information about this school

 Ofsted conducted an additional inspection of the school in September 2023 to consider the school’s request to change the registration from 20 to 50 pupils. This material change was granted by the Department for Education (DfE) in September 2023.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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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 leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held meetings with the chair of the proprietor body, the chair of the advisory board, the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, staff, and representatives from two local authorities that commission places at the school.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects; English, mathematics, geography and PSHE. Inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, 8 to 10 July 2025 considered curriculum information, visited lessons, reviewed evidence of work and spoke with pupils.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans, reviewed evidence of work and spoke with leaders and pupils about some other subjects.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.  To check compliance with the standards, inspectors spoke to leaders, staff and pupils. They visited classrooms, toured both school sites, reviewed pupil information, school policies and records relating a range of aspects of the school such as behaviour and health and safety.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors also spoke with some parents and carers.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s questionnaire for school staff. Inspectors also met with staff and pupils throughout the inspection to gather their views.

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Inspection team

Michael Williams, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Jo Pedlow Ofsted Inspector 8 to 10 July 2025 to 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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