Pakefield High School, Lowestoft

From the headteacher's welcome: "At Pakefield, we believe that every young person deserves to attend a school where they feel safe, valued and inspired to achieve their very best. Our aim is simple: to provide an excellent education within a caring and ambitious community, ensuring that every student leaves us ready for the opportunities and challenges of the future."

In 2026, pupils at Pakefield High School averaged an Attainment 8 score of 42.3, the average grade across their best eight GCSEs. The average state school scored 43.4 in Suffolk and 47 across England.

42% passed English and maths at grade 5 or above, against 40% in Suffolk and 47% in England.

That is up from 38.4 in 2025.

Its most recent Progress 8 score, for 2024, was -0.53: pupils made well below average progress compared with pupils nationally who started secondary school at the same level. Progress 8 was not published for 2026.

Disadvantaged pupils averaged an Attainment 8 of 39.4, against 44.9 for other pupils at the school - a gap of 5.5 points.

Pupils sat GCSEs in 20 subjects; after English and maths, the most popular were Combined Science, History and Multimedia.

For September 2026 entry, 100 families put Pakefield High School as their first choice and 175 named it as one of their preferences, for 104 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.

The nearest other state secondary schools to Pakefield High School are East Point Academy (1.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 49.2); Learning Support, Northern Area Education Office (2.5 miles); Ormiston Denes Academy (3 miles, Inadequate, Attainment 8 37.7); and Benjamin Britten Academy of Music and Mathematics (3.3 miles, Good, Attainment 8 46.6).

Pakefield High School's 2026 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.

Pakefield High School is one of 13 schools run by Clarion Corvus Trust, an academy trust.

Of the 119 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 82% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 54% to a further education college, 6% to an apprenticeship and 5% into work.

38.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 2.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 126 pupils (18.6%) received SEN support and 48 (7.1%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.

The nearest railway station is Entrance3, about 1.6 miles away in a straight line.

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Pakefield High School (inside), 40 metres away.

In 2024/25, Pakefield High School issued 243 suspensions, 34.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 6 permanent exclusions.

The primary schools closest to Pakefield High School are Pakefield Primary School (0.2 miles), Westwood Primary School (0.8 miles), St Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School (1.1 miles) and Elm Tree Primary School (1.1 miles). Admission does not depend on which primary a child attends unless the school's policy names feeder schools.