Newbridge Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: Newbridge Primary School Charmouth Road, Bath, Somerset BA1 3LL

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Inspection dates: 17 and 18 December 2024

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Outcome

Newbridge Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This is a caring and welcoming school that puts pupils at the heart of all it does. Pupils are polite and friendly. They move safely around the school. The large outside space is well managed. Pupils engage in a range of activities, and they play well together across year groups. Playtimes are calm and purposeful.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are proud of their leadership roles and the contribution they make. Some help the site manager to repair resources and develop the ‘mud world’ play area. Others help by delivering messages around the school. Pupils take care of their environment. For example, the junior leadership team raises money to develop and improve the equipment on the playground.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils feel happy at school. They follow the behaviour values of being ‘responsible, respectful and safe’. All pupils know there are trusted adults in school to whom they can talk if they have any worries or concerns.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations of all pupils. Staff encourage pupils to engage in their work and answer questions. Pupils are keen to share their ideas. They show high levels of motivation. They work hard, and most pupils achieve well.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Since the last inspection, the school has reviewed and implemented a new phonics scheme. This is well structured, and helps pupils build their knowledge. From the Reception Year, children practise saying and writing letters and words with accuracy. Staff check understanding and help pupils to practise and secure their knowledge of sounds. 17 and 18 December 2024

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The books that pupils read match the sounds they know. Pupils practise their reading often, and staff support them to build reading fluency and confidence.

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The mathematics curriculum supports pupils effectively to develop their mathematical skills over time. The order in which pupils learn key mathematical concepts helps them develop a rich understanding of number, shape and space from the beginning of the early years. They develop a strong awareness of numerical facts. The work pupils complete helps them to remember these facts with ease and use them to solve problems.

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The school has an accurate understanding of the needs of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff break down knowledge into small steps. Staff adapt resources to help pupils secure their knowledge. This helps pupils with SEND progress through the curriculum as well as their peers.

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Since the last inspection, the school has made changes to the curriculum. The ‘curriculum threads’ detail the knowledge, skills and vocabulary pupils will develop as they move through each year of the curriculum. This structure supports pupils to deepen their understanding. Pupils return to previous work. For example, in Year 3, pupils learn about volcanoes. They return to this in Year 5, where they build on their knowledge to learn about earthquakes and tsunamis.

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In some curriculum subjects, the school does not have an accurate understanding of what pupils know and remember. This is because the school has not refined its approach to checking pupils’ understanding. As a result, some pupils forget important knowledge that they have learned before, and gaps in pupils’ knowledge persist.

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The school supports pupils to develop their understanding of each other and the world beyond the school. The Newbridge equalities team members lead assemblies where they present information about hate crime and the Equality Act. Pupils are proud of how they support all pupils to treat everyone with respect. They learn about each other’s faiths and the beliefs that they have. They discuss how everyone is different, and how this makes them unique. Pupils welcome visitors to school, including a Paralympic athlete who described how they became successful while overcoming challenges. These activities help pupils to celebrate and value each other.

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Pupils develop a sense of responsibility and contribute to the community beyond the school. They reflect on the lives of others and select charities to support. They find out about the work of these charities and hold events to raise awareness and funds. The well- attended school choir visits the local care home and sings to residents. The school supports pupils to develop their talents. Pupils compete in dance performances and football tournaments. They enjoy a wide range of extra-curricular activities, including gymnastics, Korean and table tennis clubs.

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Governors have an accurate view of the school’s strengths and the next development steps. Staff value how the school helps them increase their expertise to teach the curriculum. They appreciate the support they receive to manage their workload and well- being. 17 and 18 December 2024

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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 school does not have an accurate understanding of what pupils know and remember. This means that, at times, gaps in pupils’ knowledge go unaddressed, and pupils do not learn the curriculum as intended. The school should ensure that assessment strategies accurately identify any gaps that pupils have, and that this information is used to make adaptations to the curriculum to address these gaps.

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Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted’s website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

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Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school’s work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be good for overall effectiveness in January 2020.

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How can I feed back my views?

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. 17 and 18 December 2024

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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). 17 and 18 December 2024

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School details

Local authority Bath and North East Somerset Council

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 21 and 22 January 2020, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school provides a breakfast and after-school club.  The school does not use any providers of alternative provision.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and has taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  The inspector held meetings with the headteacher, the deputy headteacher, other leaders and staff.  The inspector met with members of the governing body, including the chair, and the school’s challenge and support partner.  The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning, heard pupils read and looked at samples of pupils’ work. 17 and 18 December 2024

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 To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector: 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 inspector observed pupils’ behaviour in lessons and around the school site.  The inspector spoke to some parents at the end of the school day.  The inspector also considered the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free- text comments, and Ofsted’s survey for staff.

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Inspection team

Caroline Musty, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 December 2024

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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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