Preston Bridge School

Inspection of Preston Bridge School 1 Lower Polsham Road, Paignton, Devon TQ3 2AF

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Overall effectiveness Good

The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Outstanding Personal development Outstanding Leadership and management Outstanding 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?

The proprietor’s motto, ‘students are the architects of their future’, underpins the work of the school. High expectations prevail across both the Beachside and Harbourside sites. The school supports pupils to overcome barriers to learning and re-engage with education. This, coupled with a supportive atmosphere, means pupils enjoy attending Preston Bridge and achieve well.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils experience success because staff understand the individual needs of pupils well and have high expectations of them. Pupils make strong progress towards their education, health and care plan (EHC plan) targets over time.

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What is it like to attend this school?

A sense of care and respect pervades the school. Pupils appreciate the support adults provide. Staff support pupils to regulate their emotions and behaviour. A culture of tolerance and understanding helps pupils to behave exceptionally well in lessons and at social times.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils’ personal development, including preparation for adulthood, is meticulously threaded through the school’s work. Educational visits to the community enhance pupils’ education. They enjoy trips to museums, the local zoo and the beach. Regular sporting opportunities like swimming or visits to the town rugby club develop fitness and teamwork skills. Older pupils enjoy residential visits, where they improve their confidence and resilience.

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better?

The school ensures pupils learn a broad and ambitious curriculum that meets the wide range of pupils’ special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). It is highly tailored to their interests and needs. The curriculum allows pupils to build on what they know over time. For example, in mathematics, pupils use their knowledge of multiplication tables to identify common factors and multiples. As pupils move through the school, they apply this knowledge to solve problems.

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better?

In most subjects, the school provides pupils with appropriate learning activities based around the school’s ‘pillars’ of learning, such as science. Visiting industry experts help pupils build their knowledge of ‘21st century skills’ through purposeful enterprise learning projects. For example, experts support pupils to learn how to grow plants without soil. However, sometimes the activities chosen by teachers do not support pupils to practise and extend their writing skills. This slows pupils’ learning down. When this happens, pupils do not learn as well.

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better?

The school is tenacious in its efforts to help pupils learn to read. Pupils benefit from a structured phonics programme. They read books that match their reading ability. This helps pupils develop their fluency and confidence. The library has a wide range of texts that spark pupils’ imagination. Across the school, pupils read high-quality texts that expand their vocabulary. They use terms like ‘opulence’ and ‘welfare’ 17 to 19 June 2025 when exploring the concepts of hierarchy and social class in their study of the play ‘Blood Brothers’.

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better?

Staff are expert teachers of SEND. They are adept at using information from pupils’ EHC plans to support them to learn well. Alongside input from external professionals and therapists, staff use skilful, personalised adaptations, so pupils learn in the best possible way.

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better?

The support for pupils’ behaviour is excellent. The school carries out careful checks when pupils join to identify their social, emotional, mental health and academic needs. Individualised behaviour plans equip staff to expertly respond to behaviour linked to pupils’ specific needs. Staff know pupils extremely well and build trusting and respectful relationships with them. As pupils get older, they become independent and can manage their own behaviour. They enjoy friendships, socialising and being part of all the school has to offer.

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better?

Many pupils join the school with fragmented attendance. The school creates an exceptionally positive and welcoming environment. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure. For those with less positive attendance, the school acts quickly to provide the right help. As a result, pupils’ attendance improves significantly from the moment they join the school.

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better?

In horizons sixth form, there is a stimulating, yet nurturing environment. Students receive personalised support and learn through purposeful project work. For example, in cooking lessons, staff weave in activities that reinforce students’ numeracy skills, like how to manage a budget. Pupils complete a range of nationally accredited qualifications, including GCSEs, where appropriate, to secure appropriate pathways into education, employment or training. The school goes beyond the expected and organises rich experiences, industry experts and purposeful visits to enhance careers activities. Students receive high-quality independent advice and complete work experience. The school teaches important life skills they need to be ‘community ready’.

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better?

The school’s unique approach promotes pupils’ personal development exceptionally well. The debating society helps pupils to discuss challenging issues and themes about the world around them. This secures a strong understanding of equality and equity. Pupils learn about healthy relationships, including sex education, in an age- appropriate way. Staff encourage pupils to develop their knowledge of different faiths when they learn about religious festivals, like ‘Diwali’. Meeting with the local member of parliament helps pupils to learn about democracy and the fundamental British values.

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better?

The governors and the proprietor body understand their statutory responsibilities well. They are relentless in continually improving experiences for pupils to make sure they receive the very best education. They exercise strategic oversight, holding leaders accountable and providing regular challenge. The school meets the requirements of schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010 and the independent school 17 to 19 June 2025 standards (the standards). The school supports staff with their workload and well- being in equal measure. Staff form a committed team that enjoy working at the school.

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better?

Parents speak of the ‘transformational’ relationships that support their children to overcome barriers to their education. Most would recommend the school to others.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and proprietor)

 Sometimes, the activities chosen by the school do not enable pupils to practise and extend their writing skills. This slows pupils’ learning down. The school should implement the plans to introduce a more coherent strategy for the teaching of writing across the school.

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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. 17 to 19 June 2025

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School details

Unique reference number 148621 DfE registration number 880/6008

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School details

Inspection number 10374882 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@prestonbridgeschool.co.uk

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form

Dates of previous inspection 28 to 30 June 2022 17 to 19 June 2025

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Information about this school

 The school was registered by the Department for Education on 26 July 2021. This was the school’s second standard inspection.  The school operates over two sites. The main site is located at the Harbourside Campus, situated on Conway Road, Paignton, TQ4 5LH. The original campus, Beachside, is at 1 Lower Polsham Road, Paignton, TQ3 2AF.  Since the last standard inspection, there have been two material change inspections, one in June 2022 and one in February 2023. At each inspection, it was found that standards were likely to be met.  Changes to leadership have occurred in the past year. The headteacher started in September 2024.  The proprietor body has seven other independent special schools.  This is a specialist provision for pupils with autism spectrum conditions and pupils with social, emotional and mental health needs. All pupils have EHC plans. Most placements are funded by Torbay and Devon local authorities.

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Information about this school

 The school uses one unregistered alternative provider.

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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 evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with leaders and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors held discussions with the headteacher and members of the leadership team.  An inspector held discussions with the chief executive officer, the chair and other governors from the proprietor body.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in English, early reading, personal, social, health and economic education and mathematics. In each subject, inspectors met with senior and curriculum leaders, talked to pupils, visited lessons, spoke to teachers and looked at examples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about some other subjects. 17 to 19 June 2025  Inspectors met with staff to consider their views.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors: reviewed the single

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Information about this inspection

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.  Inspectors conducted a range of activities to confirm whether the school met the standards in full. This included health and safety checks of the premises, risk assessments, record-keeping for behaviour management and supervision during social times.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour and supervision on arrival at school, in classrooms and at lunchtime. Inspectors spoke with pupils about their experiences in school. An adult was present during some of these meetings.  Inspectors considered the views of parents and carers who responded to the confidential questionnaire, Ofsted Parent View.

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Inspection team

Gavin Summerfield, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Tracy Hannon Ofsted Inspector 17 to 19 June 2025 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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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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Inspection team

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