Duke of Lancaster School

Duke of Lancaster School is a special school for pupils with education, health and care plans, specialising in communication and interaction difficulties, with many pupils also autistic. Inspectors found the school performing at the expected standard in attendance and behaviour, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met. The school has undergone significant change since its last inspection, including joining Eastern Education Group in September 2024 and appointing a new head of school, and leaders have acted quickly to improve safeguarding and begin rebuilding the curriculum. The strongest work is around inclusion, care and personal development. Staff know pupils' needs well, plans are detailed and used consistently, training is comprehensive, and pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, careers activities and community links. Attendance has risen and is now in line with similar schools, behaviour is generally calm, and incidents of physical aggression have fallen significantly. Pupils are polite, feel safe and are well prepared for adult life. The main concerns are in achievement and curriculum/teaching, both of which need attention. The quality of pupils' work varies between subjects, tasks do not always deepen thinking or give enough practice, and expectations and teaching skill are inconsistent. Leaders have raised expectations and the number of pupils gaining qualifications has risen, but this year's improved outcomes are not yet secured. Next steps focus on consistently designing deeper tasks, raising presentation expectations across the curriculum, and continuing to build positive communication with parents and carers.

Strengths

• Leaders are tenacious in improving attendance and work closely with families; attendance has risen and is now in line with similar schools.
• The school is generally calm, and classrooms are places where pupils can focus on learning.
• There has been a significant reduction in incidents involving physical aggression between pupils.
• Staff use calm, consistent language and supportive approaches to help pupils regulate emotions and behaviour.
• Bullying is dealt with well, with parents and carers kept informed and involved.
• Staff understand pupils' SEND needs well; detailed EHC plans are updated and understood by all staff.
• Adaptations are used consistently across subjects to reduce barriers to learning.
• Staff receive comprehensive training, especially in supporting pupils with autism.
• Pupil premium funding is used appropriately for counselling and learning mentor support.
• The school works closely with the virtual school and uses alternative provision appropriately.
• Trustees provide clear vision, effective challenge and support, and statutory duties are completed effectively.
• Leaders model high expectations and act quickly when work falls short.
• Most staff enjoy working at the school and have positive relationships with pupils.
• The PSHE programme is taught well and helps pupils understand safety, relationships and healthy living.
• Pupils are well prepared for adult life through careers education, college visits and work experience.
• Pupils take pride in representing the school, including on overseas trips, developing confidence and independence.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture and robust practice.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement needs attention: the quality of pupils' work varies between subjects and they do not always apply understanding to new problems or questions.
• Limited application of understanding in some areas restricts pupils' ability to achieve higher qualifications.
• Curriculum and teaching need attention: activities do not always deepen thinking or give meaningful practice.
• In some subjects, pupils are not challenged enough and the quality of work varies.
• Some staff do not deliver the full curriculum with the same level of skill, leading to uneven learning.
• Expectations around the quality of pupils' presentation in work are inconsistent across the curriculum.
• Although improving, the school has not yet secured this year's expected qualification outcomes for most pupils.
• The quality of basic skills teaching in reading, writing and mathematics varies.
• Some pupils still struggle to attend regularly, despite improvements.
• Leaders recognise the need to continue strengthening relationships with some families.

In 2024–25 pupils at Duke of Lancaster School attended 79.2% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 45.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 35.3%).

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, 15.0% of pupils at Duke of Lancaster School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). 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 Duke of Lancaster School had 6.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 17.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.5%).

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 Duke of Lancaster School had 107 pupils, 100.0% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: social, emotional and mental health; speech, language and communication needs; multi-sensory impairment; autistic spectrum disorder.

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 special school schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Duke of Lancaster School received £34,007 and spent £29,498 for each of its 101 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £169,000 (£1,675 per pupil).

Across all 8 schools of Eastern Education Group Trust, income was £10,066 and spending £10,047 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 Fakenham · Norfolk local authority: places and applications

Duke of Lancaster School is part of Eastern Education Group Trust, which runs 10 schools. The nearest others:

• Stanton Primary School Bury St. Edmunds
• Priory School Bury St Edmunds
• Abbeygate Sixth Form College Bury St Edmunds
• Woolpit Primary Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Exning Primary School Newmarket
• Sunrise Academy Lowestoft
• Chalk Hill Sudbury
• One Sixth Form College Ipswich
• Stone Lodge Academy Ipswich

What is Duke of Lancaster School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Duke of Lancaster School is Needs attention, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Duke of Lancaster School last inspected by Ofsted?

Duke of Lancaster School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Duke of Lancaster School have?

Duke of Lancaster School has 107 pupils on roll.

What age range does Duke of Lancaster School cover?

Duke of Lancaster School for pupils aged 5 to 16.

What are Duke of Lancaster School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 0% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Duke of Lancaster School?

Duke of Lancaster School is at Highfield Road, Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 9DQ.