Bridlington School

Inspection of Bridlington School Bessingby Road, Bridlington YO16 4QU

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Previous inspection grade Good 19 and 20 April 2023

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What is it like to attend this school?

Bridlington School provides pupils with a well-rounded education. Leaders want all pupils to develop a ‘passion for learning’. Pupils follow a broad curriculum. It allows them to develop knowledge and skills for their next steps in education and work. Reading is an important part of the school’s curriculum. Pupils who need support to improve reading are supported effectively with regular interventions. This includes phonics lessons. Leaders have high expectations for pupils.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has a specialist provision called Harland House. It is for key stage 3 pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils are taught in dedicated spaces on the school site. They are sensitively supported to develop their social skills and build resilience. The Harland House curriculum is ambitious. It meets pupils’ needs well. Pupils are supportive of each other’s well-being. They can learn to care for animals, including guinea pigs.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils behave well. A new behaviour policy ensures that the school is calm and orderly. Not all pupils attend often and regularly enough. Despite leaders’ actions to reduce absence, whole-school attendance is not high enough. Most pupils feel safe in school. They say bullying does happen, but staff deal with it effectively. Staff take pupils’ concerns seriously. Most pupils feel there is someone there for them to talk to.

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better?

Leaders have ambition for pupils. They ensure that lessons are carefully sequenced over time. This builds pupils’ knowledge and skills effectively. Prior learning is revisited regularly. Staff use ‘big questions’ in lessons to engage pupils. This helps pupils to participate and deepen their knowledge. Sixth-form students achieve well. Staff know how to get the best from students. Students demonstrate knowledge and understanding clearly when questioned. Leaders are aware that curriculum decisions taken during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted overall performance measures. They have further developed the curriculum to ensure that pupils have the appropriate time to study qualifications fully.

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better?

Leaders prioritise reading. Staff are well trained. Leaders ensure that different areas of the curriculum promote reading. The school environment provides ample opportunities for pupils to read and access books. Leaders are further developing the curriculum to provide more opportunities for pupils to read. Pupils with SEND are well supported. The special educational needs and disabilities coordinator (SENDCo) ensures that teachers are well informed about pupils’ additional needs. Pupils get the help they need in lessons.

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better?

Staff and pupil relationships are secure. This ensures that pupils generally engage well in lessons. This includes students in sixth form. Any instances of behaviour that do not meet leaders’ expectations are swiftly dealt with. Not all pupils attend well, 19 and 20 April 2023

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which limits their learning. Leaders are further developing systems to reduce absence. They are investing in staff and resources to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and often. This work shows some impact, but progress is too slow. More can be done to support parents and carers to ensure their children attend school more often.

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All pupils access a ‘life skills’ curriculum. It is generally well mapped out. Lessons are in timetabled slots. They include personal, social and health education (PSHE), religious education and spiritual, moral, social and cultural (SMSC) education. It reflects the needs of the local community. Some aspects are not as comprehensive as others. SMSC is not fully prominent in the programme. This is also the case in the sixth form.

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Leaders have developed a well-thought-out careers programme. All pupils receive independent careers advice. Leaders have reintroduced work experience. They promote links to local employers. These include renewable energy companies. Some pupils have visited employers to develop an understanding of career opportunities in offshore wind farms, for example. Pupils have opportunities to develop their talents and interests in a range of after-school clubs. Leaders track participation carefully to ensure activities meet the needs of all pupils.

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Transitions to sixth form need further development. Pupils do not get enough advice on which courses best suit their abilities and chosen career path. Those students who attend the school’s sixth form achieve well. There is a range of vocational and academic qualifications available.

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Governors are well informed. They check leaders’ quality assurance systems. They visit the school regularly to ensure leaders’ actions are effective. Pupils attending alternative education provision are closely monitored. Governors ensure that they follow curriculum pathways that meet the individual needs of pupils. Staff actively develop their skills through relevant training. Safeguarding and subject-specific development are prioritised. Early career teachers feel well supported. Staff describe their workload as manageable. Staff feel listened to and say leaders are accessible.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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Safeguarding

The ethos of safeguarding and its culture is an embedded characteristic of the school. Leaders ensure that all staff are checked appropriately for their roles. Staff are well trained. They are kept up to date on safeguarding, with training provided by the school and local authority. Leaders provide weekly safeguarding updates for governors and staff in short online videos.

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Safeguarding

Leaders ensure that pastoral staff receive additional safeguarding training. Teachers feel informed about safeguarding. They know how to report concerns. Staff understand that any small amount of information may be used to build a complete picture of pupil need and instigate action. 19 and 20 April 2023

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Not all pupils attend school regularly and often. This limits pupils’ learning because they miss valuable lesson time. Leaders have developed systems to reduce absence, but progress is too slow. Leaders should further develop their systems of support for parents and carers to ensure their children attend school regularly.  Transition from Year 11 to sixth form is not well structured. Leaders should further develop the support and guidance provided to Year 11 pupils to provide greater clarity. They should ensure that pupils are fully informed about their next steps, with precise information on application timeframes and qualification subjects.  SMSC education is not fully prominent in the school’s personal development offer. This includes the sixth form. It does not have the status required. Leaders should place more emphasis on SMSC in their curriculum design. They should ensure the ‘life skills’ curriculum prioritises SMSC education to a greater extent.

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How can I feed back my views?

or to find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 19 and 20 April 2023

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School details

Local authority East Riding of Yorkshire

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School details

Inspection number 10271259 Type of school Secondary Comprehensive

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provision

Number of pupils on the school roll 1,003

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sixth form

Appropriate authority The governing body

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Information about this school

 The school has an additional resource provision called Harland House. It makes provision for pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils attending the provision have an education, health and care plan.  The school uses one registered alternative education provision provider.  The school measures itself against the Gatsby benchmarks to ensure pupils receive high-quality careers advice.  The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 7 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships. 19 and 20 April 2023

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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Information about this inspection

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken this into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, members of the senior leadership team, SENDCo, subject leaders, teachers, early career teachers and support staff.  The lead inspector met with members of the governing body. An inspector also met the local authority school improvement advisor.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, history, science and physical education. For each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. The lead inspector also spoke to leaders about the Harland House curriculum.  An inspector met with the school’s designated safeguarding lead. The inspector

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Information about this inspection

reviewed the school’s safeguarding records, relevant policies and other safeguarding documentation. The inspector reviewed the processes leaders use to identify and help pupils who need support. In addition, the lead inspector scrutinised the school’s records of checks carried out on adults who work at the school.  Inspectors reviewed a range of school documents, including the school’s self- evaluation and improvement plans.  Inspectors considered the responses to Ofsted’s surveys for pupils, staff and parents. This included any free-text responses.

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Inspection team

David Mills, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Gordon Watts Ofsted Inspector 19 and 20 April 2023

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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