Sir Peter Hall School, Bury St. Edmunds
Sir Peter Hall School is a special school for pupils aged 9 to 16 in Bury St. Edmunds, part of Unity Schools Partnership.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Sir Peter Hall School in detail
Sir Peter Hall School in its own words
In its own words: "Our ambition is to unlock the potential of all children because every young life is special - open to possibility, gifted with the potential to change the world for the better."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, basketball, film and forest school.
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to Sir Peter Hall School are Priory School (1.1 miles, Outstanding); Pushforward Primary School (1.5 miles); Riverwalk School (2.1 miles, Good); and Abbey Gardens School (2.7 miles).
Priory SchoolPushforward Primary SchoolRiverwalk SchoolAbbey Gardens School
The trust
Sir Peter Hall School is one of 40 schools run by Unity Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
What parents say
16 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Sir Peter Hall School (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 75% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that pupils behave well (63%).
Who goes there
58.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 0% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (89%) and Mixed (5%).
In 2026, 3 pupils (5.4%) received SEN support and 53 (94.6%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Sir Peter Hall School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs: 70 places, 65 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Entrance, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Bradbrook Close (opposite), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Sir Peter Hall School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Sir Peter Hall School issued 98 suspensions, 175 for every 100 pupils, and 1 permanent exclusion.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Sir Peter Hall School excels at transforming pupils' attitudes towards education and building their confidence. The school provides carefully thought-out support for behaviour and learning, helping pupils who have had difficult educational experiences to re-engage and progress. With a mix of academic and vocational subjects, strong PSHE education, and enriching activities, pupils gain the qualifications and experiences they need to succeed beyond school.
Key Strengths
- Excellent support for pupils' behaviour and clear high expectations that help them thrive - Staff quickly recognise when pupils are struggling and put effective support in place
- Strong curriculum that combines academic and vocational subjects tailored to pupils' needs and aspirations
- Effective reading support that helps pupils catch up and access the curriculum
- Comprehensive PSHE education and enrichment activities that prepare pupils well for life after school
- Successful work to improve school attendance, particularly for pupils who previously attended poorly
Areas for Improvement
- Not all teaching consistently supports pupils to learn new knowledge successfully - some pupils find learning more challenging when activities are not well-chosen
- Recent rapid changes in leadership have unsettled some staff who are not fully aware of the purpose of changes
- Staff communication about school systems and processes needs to improve to ensure everyone understands and supports the school's values
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created a positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Horse riding, film clubs, cooking, competitive sports, food technology lessons, careers opportunities
Sir Peter Hall School is a special school for pupils aged 10 to 16 with social, emotional and mental health needs. The school makes a positive difference to pupils' lives by helping them re-engage with learning and build confidence after poor previous educational experiences.
At a Glance
58.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
SEN unit: SEMH
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
16 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 4 nearby schools
Keep up with Sir Peter Hall School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Sir Peter Hall School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Sir Peter Hall School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
80%
Available places
56 pupils
70 places
14 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Bury St. Edmunds
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bury St. Edmunds
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
53
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Sir Peter Hall School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs: 70 places, 65 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
56
Total Pupils
44
Boys
12
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
5.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£56,302
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
30.8%
Overall absence
72.7%
Persistent absence
66
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
Questions parents ask about Sir Peter Hall School
What are GCSE results like at Sir Peter Hall School?
In the 2025 results, pupils at Sir Peter Hall School achieved an Attainment 8 score of 1. 0% passed GCSE English and maths at grade 5 or above.
What is the catchment area for Sir Peter Hall School?
No fixed boundary. When Sir Peter Hall School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Sir Peter Hall School?
Sir Peter Hall School has around 56 pupils on roll. 59% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Sir Peter Hall School have specialist SEN provision?
Sir Peter Hall School has a SEN unit for social, emotional and mental health needs: 70 places, 65 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at Sir Peter Hall School?
30.8% of sessions were missed at Sir Peter Hall School in 2024/25. 72.7% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Sir Peter Hall School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Sir Peter Hall School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Sir Peter Hall School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Sir Peter Hall School?
Sir Peter Hall School is at Airfield Road, Bury St. Edmunds, IP32 7PJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)