Silver Bridge School

Inspection of Silver Bridge School 54 Silver Street, Taunton, Somerset, Somerset TA1 3DL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Good Sixth-form provision Good Overall effectiveness at previous inspection Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Does the school meet the independent school standards?

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What is it like to attend this school?

Inclusivity is at the heart of Silver Bridge School. Pupils accept one another as unique individuals. All pupils have an education, health and care plan. Adults understand pupils’ needs well and provide effective support. Relationships between pupils and adults are warm. Pupils say that staff are kind and care about them. For many pupils, this is the first time they have had a positive experience in school. They feel safe and happy.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils make significant improvements in their social and emotional well-being from when they first join the school. The longer pupils are at the school, the more confident they become. Where needed, adults support pupils to manage their behaviour and emotions.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Most pupils are polite and courteous. Students in the sixth form learn alongside their peers of different ages, in their ‘base rooms’. Older students look after younger pupils. This gives them a clear role and responsibility.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s wider offer is exceptional. It provides a range of rich experiences that broadens pupils’ horizons. Pupils talk animatedly about these opportunities, such as a visit to the beach or planning and preparing a healthy meal. These experiences benefit and prepare pupils well for their lives beyond school.

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better?

The school has designed a curriculum which is broad and ambitious. Pupils’ interests are at its core. The school’s ‘three phased’ approach supports pupils to be ready to learn through ‘enterprise projects’. This provides a breadth of learning and enrichment activities that motivates pupils to engage well. For example, the pupils made a visit to see a ‘Banksy’ artwork and a trip to a local zoo, which enhances learning for all pupils and strengthens their interests. Pupils are equally proud of their ‘beautiful work’ and project books. Despite this, the academic curriculum does not always make clear what essential knowledge pupils must learn before tackling more complex concepts. This means that some pupils find it more difficult to build their knowledge.

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better?

Reading is a priority. The school has thought carefully about how to engage pupils in reading. This includes access to audio books as well as books from the local library. The systematic approach to teaching pupils in the earlier stages of reading supports them to become better readers. Assessment information identifies gaps pupils have. Additional support helps pupils to catch up. However, the reading curriculum beyond phonics has not been carefully considered. It is not clear how pupils’ reading knowledge builds through their project work.

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better?

The checks the school makes on pupils’ learning are not used well enough to ensure that pupils remember the most important knowledge over time. Learning is not adapted to address this. As a result, pupils do not build knowledge in a cumulative 21 to 23 May 2024 way and gaps inhibit their progress through the curriculum. For example, in mathematics, pupils struggle to convert grams into kilograms because they do not have a secure understanding of place value.

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better?

When pupils join the school, staff spend time to understand their barriers and support them to develop strategies to overcome them. Adults have the necessary knowledge of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to fulfil this well. The work adults complete to help pupils to understand emotions and develop strategies to cope is impressive. The carefully designed programme for pupils’ personal, social and health (PSHE) education underpins this. Pupils learn how to organise events through budget planning, understand the importance of e-safety and administer first aid in an emergency. Pupils thrive on the roles and responsibilities they have. This supports them to understand the world around them and develop confidence in their interactions with others outside of the school community.

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better?

Sixth-form students talk confidently about their aspirations. They receive the help they need to consider future pathways beyond Silver Bridge. Adults give students sound advice and guidance based on their individual interests. Opportunities to take part in experiences that match students’ interests helps to build their confidence and an awareness of the world of work. As a result, students feel well supported by the adults to make important decisions about their future.

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better?

Pupils are emphatic that everyone is welcome. They are tolerant and accepting of the diverse needs of each other. They recognise the importance of inclusion and respect difference. This helps to prepare them for life in modern Britain.

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better?

The school is well supported by governors and proprietors. There is a multifaceted approach to check on the work the school does for the pupils. The governors know the school well. There is an appropriate balance of challenge and support. The school meets all of the independent school standards. The proprietor body ensures that the school complies with Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 The school has not identified the specific knowledge they want pupils to learn and remember in some areas of the curriculum. As a result, pupils do not build knowledge well. The school should ensure that the important knowledge they want pupils to learn is identified so that pupils build on what they know and remember more over time.  Assessment is not used effectively to check pupils’ understanding or identify any gaps they have. As a result, it is not clear what pupils know and can do. The 21 to 23 May 2024 school should ensure that assessment is used to identify what pupils remember, so they can precisely support next steps in learning.

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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. 21 to 23 May 2024

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School details

Unique reference number 147705 DfE registration number 933/6012

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School details

Inspection number 10322165 Type of school Other independent special school

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School details

School category Independent special school

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School details

Gender of pupils in the sixth form Mixed

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form

Email address admin@silverbridgeschool.co.uk

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form

Dates of previous inspection 29 June to 1 July 2021 21 to 23 May 2024

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Information about this school

 The school’s first standard inspection took place in June 2021, where it was judged to be good, with all independent school standards met. There have been a number of significant staffing changes since. The current headteacher started his post in September 2021. A new deputy headteacher started in January 2024. Some teachers are relatively new to the school.  The school uses four unregistered alternative providers.  All pupils have an education, health and care plan.  The school accommodates pupils with SEND, including social, emotional and mental health needs.

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Information about this inspection

Inspectors carried out this inspection under section 109(1) and (2) of the Education and Skills Act 2008. The purpose of the inspection is to advise the Secretary of State for Education about the school’s suitability for continued registration as an independent school.

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Information about this inspection

The school meets the independent school standards. These are the requirements set out in the schedule to the Education (Independent School Standards) Regulations 2014.

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Information about this inspection

Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, curriculum leaders, operations director and designated safeguarding leader. In addition, inspectors met with the chair of the proprietor board and the chief executive officer.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and PSHE.  For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, looked at curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive

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Information about this inspection

culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  A member of staff was present when inspectors spoke with some pupils. This was agreed in order to support pupils to engage with inspectors and reduce their anxiety. 21 to 23 May 2024  Inspectors carried out a range of activities to confirm whether the independent school standards were met in full. This included health and safety checks on the premises, risk assessments and attendance records.  Inspectors considered responses to the online survey for parents, Ofsted Parent View. Inspectors evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Wendy D’Arcy, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector Simon Rowe His Majesty’s Inspector 21 to 23 May 2024 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 looked after children, safeguarding and child protection.

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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