St Christopher's Academy

St Christopher's Academy

Address: St Christopher's Hall, Renfrew Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 3HG Unique reference number (URN): 143490

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Many pupils join the school having experienced significant barriers to attending education regularly. Leaders work collaboratively with families, schools and other professionals to understand and reduce the factors affecting attendance. This includes supporting pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, medical needs and other circumstances that may have prevented them from engaging successfully with education. As a result, pupils increasingly re-engage with learning, attend more regularly and spend more time participating successfully in education. Pupils develop effective routines, improved attendance habits and participation in learning. This helps many pupils reintegrate successfully into mainstream education or move on successfully to their next stage of education, employment or training.

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Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

The school provides a calm, supportive and respectful environment where pupils feel safe, understood and able to succeed. Pupils are supported by staff who know them extremely well and respond consistently to their individual needs. This helps pupils develop confidence, self-regulation and increasingly positive attitudes to learning. Bullying and inappropriate behaviour are addressed promptly and effectively. Pupils have trusted adults they can turn to if they have concerns. Staff adapt their approaches carefully, particularly for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those experiencing social, emotional and mental health difficulties. As a result, pupils increasingly manage their behaviour successfully and sustain their engagement in learning. They develop the resilience needed to participate positively in education and prepare for their next steps.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Many pupils arrive at the school facing significant barriers to learning. They face barriers including special educational needs and/or disabilities, social, emotional and mental health needs, medical needs, difficulties with communication and disrupted attendance. Staff invest significant time in understanding pupils and their families. They use a range of information to build a thorough picture of pupils' strengths, needs and future ambitions. As a result, staff tailor support carefully and adapt it as pupils' needs change over time.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Families value the care, guidance and encouragement they receive. Staff work collaboratively with parents and carers, schools and a wide range of professionals to make sure pupils receive the support they need to thrive. This includes health professionals, the local authority and external services. Leaders are persistent advocates for pupils and families. As a result, staff rapidly and effectively reduce barriers that might otherwise prevent pupils from attending, learning and thriving.

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Inclusion Strong standard

Leaders routinely use additional funding, such as the pupil premium grant for disadvantaged pupils, thoughtfully. They also draw on wider trust resources to provide opportunities that broaden pupils' experiences, raise aspirations and prepare them for adulthood. This includes work experience, enrichment activities, support with transitions and individual opportunities linked to pupils' interests and future goals. The school also plays an important role in helping pupils re-engage successfully with education and, where appropriate, return to mainstream schools. Pupils grow in confidence, resilience and independence. A small number of pupils access alternative provision successfully, when appropriate. Leaders ensure placements are appropriate, well attended and closely matched to pupils’ capabilities, interests, and future aspirations.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Leadership is characterised by a principled purpose and a shared commitment to improving the lives of pupils. Leaders at all levels work closely together and have developed a highly cohesive approach to supporting pupils, families and staff. They have a secure understanding of the school's strengths and the areas that they want to improve further. Leaders have identified accurately that, while pupils make meaningful gains in engagement, attendance and readiness to learn, there is further work to ensure that learning is extended consistently for pupils who are ready for greater challenge and independence.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

The trust provides extensive support, challenge and expertise. Quality assurance, professional learning and regular review processes help leaders maintain a clear and accurate understanding of the school's effectiveness. Trustees fulfil their statutory responsibilities appropriately and maintain oversight of safeguarding, quality of provision, financial sustainability and pupil outcomes. Relationships between trustees, trust leaders and school leaders are constructive and focused on securing the best possible experiences for pupils.

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Leadership and governance Strong standard

Staff speak positively about workload, wellbeing and the support available to them. Professional development is closely aligned to the needs of pupils and has strengthened staff expertise in areas such as social, emotional and mental health needs, communication, attendance and inclusion. Work to strengthen the use of assessment, adaptation and subject-specific teaching for pupils who are ready for greater challenge is underway, but is not yet as embedded as other aspects of practice. Parents, schools and external professionals value the school's openness, advocacy and collaborative approach to overcoming barriers and improving outcomes for pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The provision for pupils' personal development and wellbeing is a strength of the school. Pupils grow in confidence, independence and self-belief during their time here. Many arrive having experienced significant barriers that have affected their wellbeing, relationships and engagement with education. Through high-quality pastoral support and trusting relationships with adults, pupils increasingly develop the resilience and self-awareness to manage their emotions and the challenges they face. Pupils speak positively about the support they receive and the difference it has made to their lives.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils learn how to stay safe, maintain healthy relationships and make informed decisions about their lives. They develop an understanding of diversity, equality and respect and learn how to contribute positively to their communities. Opportunities to discuss wellbeing, healthy relationships, online safety and wider societal issues help pupils develop the confidence to express their views, understand the views of others and participate successfully in society.

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Expected standard

Preparation for adulthood is woven throughout the school's work. Pupils benefit from work experience, careers guidance and opportunities to explore future pathways. Staff provide extensive support to help pupils access colleges, training providers, workplaces and other next-step placements successfully. Where barriers exist, leaders work creatively to develop bespoke opportunities that reflect pupils' interests, aspirations and future goals, identifying additional support where needed. Staff work closely with families and mainstream schools to help pupils succeed in unfamiliar environments and navigate important transitions. As a result, pupils broaden their horizons, raise their aspirations and become increasingly well prepared for further education, employment, training and adult life.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils attending the school often join with gaps in their learning and a history of disrupted education. Their success is therefore best understood in relation to their individual starting points rather than through comparison with national outcomes. Overall, pupils achieve well. They grow in confidence as learners, engage more positively with education and strengthen their knowledge in reading, writing and mathematics. Pupils become increasingly ready to learn and participate successfully in school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those with highly disrupted educational experiences, learn effectively. They benefit from work experience, careers guidance and support to prepare for adulthood. Pupils speak positively about their future plans and are increasingly well prepared for their next steps in education, employment or training.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils make meaningful and sustained gains in their attendance, engagement, confidence and readiness to learn. They increasingly access learning successfully and, in some subjects, build knowledge and apply their learning with growing independence. However, when pupils are ready to move beyond addressing gaps in learning, staff do not consistently identify this with sufficient precision or adapt their teaching accordingly. As a result, some pupils do not develop deeper subject knowledge, despite growing confidence, engagement and readiness to learn.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Many pupils arrive having missed substantial amounts of education or experienced significant disruption to their learning. Staff work hard to rebuild pupils' confidence and help them reconnect with learning. They develop a detailed understanding of what pupils already know, where gaps exist and the support they need. This helps pupils access a curriculum that reflects their individual starting points and prepares them for their next steps.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Staff create calm and supportive environments for learning. They build positive relationships that help pupils feel safe, participate in learning and ask for help when they need it. Staff support pupils effectively with communication, emotional regulation and overcoming barriers that have previously affected their education. Leaders have strengthened how staff identify and understand pupils' learning needs. Staff use this information effectively to secure important foundations in reading, writing and mathematics. They adapt learning carefully to help pupils rebuild knowledge, address gaps in learning and re-engage with education successfully. However, at times, when pupils are ready to apply their learning in more independent or demanding ways, staff do not adapt their teaching with the same precision. This is also evident where staff often develop support for pupils' wellbeing and engagement more fully than support for their wider academic

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

learning. As a result, pupils' academic knowledge and subject-specific understanding are not developed as consistently as their confidence, engagement and readiness to learn.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Many pupils arrive here having previously experienced difficulties that affected their confidence, wellbeing or engagement with education. They quickly become part of a community where they feel safe, understood and valued. Pupils build trusting relationships with staff, who know them well. Staff then help them overcome barriers that had previously prevented them from attending, learning or participating successfully in school life. As a result, pupils engage more positively with education, attend more regularly and develop confidence in themselves as learners.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils enjoy learning in calm and supportive environments. They develop important knowledge and skills, particularly where they have previous gaps in their learning. They increasingly take part in education successfully. As pupils become more confident learners, teaching does not, at times, adapt with the same precision when they are ready for greater challenge and more-complex learning.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils’ views are listened to and respected. They learn how to keep themselves safe, including online. Pupils develop positive relationships with other pupils and staff. Bullying is uncommon and pupils are confident that staff will help if problems arise. Pupils understand and respect others and contribute positively to their school and wider communities.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils benefit from experiences that broaden their horizons and help them think positively about their futures. Work experience, careers advice and guidance, visits to post-16 providers, and opportunities tailored to their interests help pupils raise their aspirations and prepare for adulthood. Many leave with greater confidence, stronger routines for learning and a clearer understanding of the opportunities available to them. For many pupils, their time at the school represents an important step towards a more positive and successful future.

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Next steps

Leaders should strengthen how staff use assessment information to ensure that pupils who are ready for greater challenge are identified consistently and supported to develop deeper subject knowledge so they achieve well.

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About this inspection

This school is part of Raedwald Trust, which means that other people within the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is led by the chief executive officer (CEO), Angela Ransby, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Alan Whittaker.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the headteacher, the CEO, trust leaders, trustees, including the vice chair of the trust, parents, pupils and staff during the inspection. Inspectors also met and spoke with staff from pupils' home schools.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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About this inspection

At the time of the inspection there were 24 pupils on the school’s roll.

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About this inspection

The school provides full-time and part-time provision for pupils who are dual registered with mainstream schools and academies. Many pupils access the provision through commissioned placements by the local authority, designed to support engagement, attendance, reintegration and successful participation in education.

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About this inspection

The school also provides outreach and commissioned support to mainstream schools. This includes advice, guidance, direct pupil support and work with families to help pupils remain engaged in education and access learning successfully.

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About this inspection

The school currently uses one unregistered alternative provider to support a small number of pupils on a part-time basis.

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About this inspection

Headteacher: Kate Kingsford-Bere This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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About this inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 9 June 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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