Sir Peter Hall School

Sir Peter Hall School is a special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs, many of whom arrive after significant disruption to their education. It opened in 2022, is part of Unity Schools Partnership, and this was its first section 5 inspection. Inspectors found the school performs well across the board: pupils are well supported to settle in, re-engage with learning and build confidence, and they progress well from varied starting points. The curriculum is ambitious and relevant, with a mix of academic and vocational subjects and a logical sequence of knowledge. Staff know pupils well, behaviour expectations are high and consistently supported, attendance is rising, and personal development is a notable strength through PSHE, enrichment, sport, cooking and careers. Safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main areas for improvement are that teaching does not always help pupils learn new knowledge successfully, which can limit achievement and engagement, and that recent rapid leadership changes have left a small number of staff unsettled or unclear about the purpose of changes. Leaders are already addressing staff concerns, but communication and support around new systems are still new.

Strengths

• Carefully planned transitions and strong individual support help pupils settle into school life.
• The curriculum is ambitious, relevant and logically sequenced across academic and vocational subjects.
• Staff check pupils' knowledge effectively and provide quick support in reading and mathematics.
• High behaviour expectations are clear, and staff use effective support to keep pupils on track.
• Pupils build trust with staff and each other and re-engage positively with learning.
• Attendance is rising, especially for pupils who previously attended poorly.
• PSHE provision is a notable strength and is reinforced by enrichment, sport, cooking and careers activities.
• Pupils gain confidence, qualifications and experiences that prepare them well for life beyond school.
• The trust took effective action to stabilise the school during leadership change.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching does not always support pupils to learn new knowledge successfully, which can limit achievement and engagement.
• Leaders should ensure staff consistently implement the school's curriculum effectively.
• Recent rapid leadership changes have unsettled some staff, and not all fully understand the purpose of changes.
• Some staff are not yet fully onboard with leaders' vision, and recent improvements to communication are new.

In 2024–25 pupils at Sir Peter Hall School attended 69.2% of sessions (the national figure for special schools was 87.2%). 72.7% 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, 67.9% of pupils at Sir Peter Hall School were suspended at least once (nationally 5.1%). One pupil was 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 Sir Peter Hall School had 5.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for special schools was 6.6). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.7% 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 Sir Peter Hall School had 56 pupils, 94.6% of them with an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 99.5%).

It says it provides for: specific learning difficulty; moderate learning difficulty; social, emotional and mental health; autistic spectrum disorder; other difficulty or disability.

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 Sir Peter Hall School received £35,878 and spent £40,675 for each of its 56 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £17,000 (£305 per pupil).

Across all 39 schools of Unity Schools Partnership, income was £8,494 and spending £8,500 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 Bury St. Edmunds · Suffolk local authority: places and applications

Sir Peter Hall School is part of Unity Schools Partnership, which runs 40 schools. The nearest others:

• Abbots Green Primary Academy Bury St Edmunds
• Sybil Andrews Academy Bury St. Edmunds
• Tollgate Primary School Bury St Edmunds
• Bury St Edmunds County High School Bury St Edmunds
• Wickhambrook Primary Academy Newmarket
• Glemsford Primary Academy Sudbury
• Woodhall Primary School Sudbury
• Ditton Lodge Primary School Newmarket
• West Row Academy Bury St. Edmunds
• Breckland School Brandon

What is Sir Peter Hall School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Sir Peter Hall School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Sir Peter Hall School last inspected by Ofsted?

Sir Peter Hall School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Sir Peter Hall School have?

Sir Peter Hall School has 56 pupils on roll.

What age range does Sir Peter Hall School cover?

Sir Peter Hall School for pupils aged 9 to 16.

What are Sir Peter Hall School's SATs (KS2) results?

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

Where is Sir Peter Hall School?

Sir Peter Hall School is at Airfield Road, Bury St. Edmunds, IP32 7PJ.