Alderman Peel High School

Alderman Peel High has been rated as a good school with commendable aspects in personal development, indicated by strong pastoral care and a sense of community among pupils. The school stands out for its supportive environment where pupils feel safe and enjoy school life, participating actively in a wide range of extracurricular activities. Although the curriculum is ambitious and leaders are focused on continuous improvement, some areas, particularly in science, are recognized as needing further development. This is the school's first inspection since converting to an academy, and it has shown a steady growth and popularity among parents.

Strengths

• Strong pastoral care that supports pupils' well-being.
• Pupils feel safe and are eager to learn.
• Ambitious curriculum with a broad choice of subjects.
• Good teaching practices that engage pupils.
• High levels of participation in extracurricular activities.
• Positive behaviour and attitudes among pupils.
• Strong community partnerships that enhance pupil experiences.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in the presentation of pupils' work.
• Lack of precision in information about pupils with SEND.
• Strategies for supporting SEND pupils not consistently applied.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Alderman Peel High School attended 90.5% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 26.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 8.1% of pupils at Alderman Peel High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Alderman Peel High School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 17.2% of pupils at Alderman Peel High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.8% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Alderman Peel High School received £8,218 and spent £7,755 for each of its 605 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £90,000 (£148 per pupil).

Across all 12 schools of The Wensum Trust, income was £7,356 and spending £7,170 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in North Norfolk · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Alderman Peel High School is part of The Wensum Trust, which runs 12 schools. The nearest others:

• Wells-Next-the-Sea Primary and Nursery School Wells-Next-The-Sea
• Burnham Market Primary and Nursery School King'S Lynn
• Arden Grove Infant and Nursery School Norwich
• Firside Junior School Norwich
• Hellesdon High School Norwich
• Kinsale Junior School Norwich
• Kinsale Infant School Norwich
• Heather Avenue Infant School Norwich
• Lodge Lane Infant School Norwich
• Garrick Green Infant School Norwich

What is Alderman Peel High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Alderman Peel High School is Good, from an inspection in June 2022.

When was Alderman Peel High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Alderman Peel High School was last inspected in June 2022.

How many pupils does Alderman Peel High School have?

Alderman Peel High School has 606 pupils on roll.

What age range does Alderman Peel High School cover?

Alderman Peel High School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Alderman Peel High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 39.6, and 16% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Alderman Peel High School?

Alderman Peel High School is at Market Lane, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, NR23 1RB.