Bridge Farm Primary School

. Inspection of Bridge Farm Primary School East Dundry Road, Bristol, Bristol BS14 0LL

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good

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Overall effectiveness Good

Previous inspection grade Not previously inspected under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Overall effectiveness Good

The headteacher of this school is Joy Mounter. This school is part of the Futura Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Andrea Arlidge, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Malcolm Broad MBE.

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Overall effectiveness Good

Ofsted has not previously inspected Bridge Farm primary school as an academy under section 5 of the Education Act 2005 as, until November 2020, the school was exempted by law from routine inspection, so there has been a longer gap than usual between inspections. Judgements in this report are based on the current inspection framework and also reflect changes that may have happened at any point since the last graded inspection of the predecessor school. 11–12 June 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at Bridge Farm Primary School attend well. As pupils arrive at school each morning, there is a palpable sense of excitement about the day’s learning. Pupils have warm relationships with staff. They are safe and know that staff will help them if they have any worries.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are polite and friendly. Their conduct is exemplary. There is a strong feeling of community and warmth that permeates through the school. This is informed by the school’s values which include respect and collaboration. Pupils are keen to do their best. They recognise that to get better at something, it takes persistence and practice. They value the rewards they receive for their positive engagement and resilience.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils participate in a range of enrichment opportunities, such as football club and choir. Through activities such as these, they develop their talents and interests. Pupils build confidence by mixing with pupils from other schools at sporting events and community performances.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Older pupils develop leadership qualities through positions of responsibility, such as play leaders. They understand that they are role models for younger pupils. Pupils make visits to places of interest. For example, pupils visited a castle to further develop their understanding of local history.

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better?

The school is ambitious for all pupils to achieve well. New leaders have strengthened the curriculum. It sets out the essential knowledge pupils need to learn and the order in which to learn it. Subject content is broken down into small steps. In most subjects, the curriculum is taught in a way that supports pupils to learn more over time. Pupils demonstrate their understanding confidently. They learn by connecting new knowledge with existing knowledge. In mathematics, for example, older pupils use their knowledge of multiplication facts to solve more complex problems.

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better?

However, in some subjects, the way in which the curriculum is taught is not yet fully effective. As a result, pupils do not build confidently on what they already know. In addition, in some subjects, the use of assessment is not fully developed. Consequently, teachers do not always form an accurate picture of how successfully pupils have learned the curriculum.

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better?

Children in the Reception Year make a strong start. Staff know children well. They provide opportunities for children to build knowledge and develop new skills through well-resourced provision. There is an emphasis on developing children’s vocabulary. Staff model this and encourage children to articulate their learning, using subject- specific vocabulary. 11–12 June 2024

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Reading is prioritised. Children learn to read as soon as they start at the school. Pupils read books that match the sounds that they know. This helps them to develop fluency and confidence. Carefully-chosen texts are linked to curriculum subjects to deepen and enrich pupils’ knowledge. Older pupils make recommendations to others and are knowledgeable about different genres and authors.

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The school meets pupils’ needs well. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are quickly identified and planned support is well-devised and precise. Teaching is adapted thoughtfully, so that all pupils learn the same ambitious curriculum. A small number of pupils with SEND follow a curriculum which is well tailored to their needs.

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The personal, social and health education (PSHE) curriculum begins in the early years and continues at an age-appropriate level as pupils get older. Pupils know that it is important to treat everyone fairly. They listen respectfully to others whose opinion may differ from their own. They show respect for protected characteristics and British values. Pupils understand the rule of law and value visits made to the school by trusted members of the community, such as police officers. They learn how to become thoughtful young people who respect and appreciate the diversity of the world in which they live.

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Pupils have a well-developed understanding of how to keep physically healthy. They place a high importance on physical fitness and know what constitutes a healthy diet. Pupils know the importance of a healthy relationships for their emotional and social growth.

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The trust and the local governing committee share the school’s ambitious vision and determination that all pupils learn well. They have a clear understanding of the school’s strengths and areas of development. Staff value the high-quality support and collaboration provided by ‘the school and trust family.’ They are proud to be part of the school and appreciate the consideration of school leaders for their workload and wellbeing.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, the curriculum is not implemented effectively. This means that pupils do not build key subject knowledge in a secure and incremental way. The school needs to ensure that the curriculum in all subjects is taught well.  Teachers’ use of assessment is underdeveloped in some subjects. Therefore, gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified with precision or promptly 11–12 June 2024

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addressed. The school should ensure that accurate assessment is used to inform teaching, so that it supports pupils to build their subject knowledge over time.

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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' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 11–12 June 2024

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School details

Date of previous inspection Not previously inspected

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Information about this school

 The school is part of the Futura Learning Partnership.  The school uses one alternative provider.

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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

 Inspections are a point-in-time judgement about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspectors carried out deep dives in early reading, mathematics, art and modern foreign languages. For each deep dive, the inspectors discussed the curriculum with teachers, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 11–12 June 2024

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 The inspectors held discussions with the headteacher, other senior leaders, the special educational needs and/or disabilities coordinator, subject leaders, members of the governing body, trustees and a representative of the chair of the board of trustees.  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 culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspectors gathered parents’ views by considering the responses to Ofsted’s online survey, Parent View, and by talking to parents before and after school. The inspectors also evaluated responses to Ofsted’s staff and pupil surveys.

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Inspection team

Liz Geller, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Andrew Evans Ofsted Inspector 11–12 June 2024

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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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