Sunrise Academy is a special free school in Lowestoft, Suffolk, for children and young people aged 9 to 16.
- Ages 9–16
- 51 pupils
School details
- Type
- Special free school
- Ages
- 9 to 16
- Boys and girls
- Boys and girls
- Pupils
- 51 (places for 52)
- Headteacher
- Mr Patrick Hamilton
- Part of
- Eastern Education Group Trust
- Opened
- 1 April 2022
- Free school meals
- 68.6% of pupils eligible
- Council
- Suffolk
- School reference (URN)
- 149151
How to get a place
4 steps, starting with an EHC plan
- An EHC plan
Places at schools like this usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan. If your child doesn’t have one yet, you can ask the council for an assessment yourself.
- Visit and ask questions
See whether the school feels right and whether it can meet your child’s needs. Our list of questions below can help.
- Ask for the school to be named
Tell the council that looks after the plan (often Suffolk council) that this is the school you want, and ask them to consult it.
- Named in the plan
If the school is named in your child’s plan, it must admit your child. Free home-to-school transport is often part of the arrangement.
Questions to ask when you visit
8 questions to tick off as you go
Ticks stay on this device, so you can use them on the day.
Ofsted
Graded by area, February 2025
Inspected in February 2025. Inspections from September 2024 to November 2025 graded each area but gave no overall grade.
- Quality of educationGood
- Behaviour and attitudesGood
- Personal developmentGood
- Leadership and managementGood
- SafeguardingEffective
Contact and getting there
Church Lane, Lowestoft, NR33 8AX
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Directions: Walk Public transport Drive
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The school’s details, how to get a place and the questions to ask, in your inbox.
Other SEND schools nearby
- Warren School Special school · Ages 3–19 1.1 miles
- Oulton Broad Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 2.2 miles
- Barnby and North Cove Community Primary School Mainstream + base · Ages 3–11 · Ofsted report card (2026) 2.3 miles
By need in Suffolk: Autism (19) · Moderate learning (19) · Speech and language (17) · Severe learning (13) · Hearing (8) · SEMH (6) · PMLD (6) · Dyslexia and SpLD (5) · Physical (5) · Vision (4) · Multi-sensory (3)
Questions about Sunrise Academy
How do I get a place at Sunrise Academy?
There’s no catchment area or application round. Places usually come through an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan: ask the council that looks after the plan to consult Sunrise Academy. If it is named in the plan, the school must admit your child.
What ages does Sunrise Academy take?
Aged 9 to 16, boys and girls.
What is Sunrise Academy’s Ofsted rating?
There’s no overall grade to show. Read the school’s latest inspection report on the Ofsted website.
Where is Sunrise Academy?
Church Lane, Lowestoft, NR33 8AX, in Suffolk.
School data: DfE Get Information About Schools, under the Open Government Licence. Postcode lookups by postcodes.io: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right, Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right, and National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right. Distances are as the crow flies. Always check details and admissions with the school and your council.