The Bridge School

Inspection of a school judged outstanding for overall effectiveness before September 2024: The Bridge School 251 Hungerford Road, London N7 9LD

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Outcome

The Bridge School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

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Outcome

The headteacher of this school is Stephen Chatterjee. This school is part of The Bridge MAT Ltd, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Penny Barratt, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by David Tait.

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What is it like to attend this school?

This school knows every pupil very well. Pupils show through their words, symbols or behaviour that they enjoy attending. Staff strive to give all pupils a voice, including those who do not communicate verbally.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school takes great care that the environment and atmosphere help pupils to feel happy, safe and secure. Much thought goes into meeting pupils’ different sensory needs. Staff follow predictable routines and prepare pupils carefully for any changes to these. During the inspection, the enthusiasm of pupils, staff, parents and carers alike contributed to a joyful and active sports day at Parliament Hill.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school is ambitious for pupils across all aspects of their learning and development. Classrooms and common spaces are calm. Pupils enjoy their lessons, from mathematics to cooking and art. Staff know how to engage pupils and get them to join in. For example, pupils are provided with regular movement breaks or work in a space that helps them to concentrate. Some show great delight as they successfully complete their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school’s overarching aim of ‘bridging the gap’ to pupils’ future lives is well realised. Working in partnership with therapists, the school successfully promotes pupils’ cognitive, personal and physical development. For some, progress comes in small but often significant steps. 8 and 9 July 2025

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

The trust, directors and governors have steered the school safely through some difficult times since the previous inspection. As well as the COVID-19 pandemic, the school has been through significant leadership changes. Under a new headteacher and senior leadership team, the school has settled once more. It is clear sighted about the many strengths it has maintained, as well as its areas for development. Leaders at all levels understand their roles and play their part in securing and overseeing improvements.

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

Promoting pupils’ communication skills is central to the school’s work. Using personalised approaches, the school enables pupils to navigate the day, express their needs and thoughts, and learn. From the early years upwards, staff tailor approaches to meet children’s needs, for example routinely engaging pupils through song.

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

The school works closely with therapists to meet pupils’ needs. There is a clear line of sight between pupils’ education, health and care (EHC) plans and classroom activities. Staff are empathetic but firm in their expectations. They are flexible but patiently persistent in their approach. Most classroom activities allow pupils to build or practise their skills and knowledge well. However, sometimes, activities are a little too easy or hard to support pupils’ learning fully.

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

The school promotes a love of story, books and reading in different forms. At the early stages, for example, staff use fans, lights, water sprays, tactile materials and sounds to immerse pupils in stories through stimulating their senses. When ready, pupils begin the journey of learning to read using a phonics approach that is carefully chosen to meet their needs. Staff are well trained to implement this in a way that makes it accessible for pupils. Pupils variously demonstrate or describe their enjoyment, sometimes delighting in their success.

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

The school plans carefully the steps that pupils need to take from the earliest foundations right through to preparations for adulthood. Activities in the early years capture children’s attention, for example through exploring light and dark or experiencing the feel of paint or sand. Adults use clear, simple language and symbols to encourage children’s understanding. At the other end of the school, sixth-form students convey confidence and obvious pleasure as they use their social-communication skills to interact with peers in shared games. They negotiate and understand how to make democratic choices by voting.

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

The theme of promoting pupils’ independence and choices threads through the school’s work. Pupils are typically ready to learn and keen to engage because they benefit from the right support and a suitable environment. The on-site domestic apartment provides helpful opportunities for developing skills for independent living. The school supports students in visiting colleges. It also facilitates meaningful workplace experiences, from a farm to a fast-food setting. Pupils’ experiences are further enriched through activities in the community or staging shows in school, for example. Some primary pupils recently performed at The Barbican following a series of specialist music workshops. 8 and 9 July 2025

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The school keeps a close check on pupils’ attendance. Careful analysis means that attendance patterns and trends are well known. Staff understand the complex individual circumstances that affect how regularly some pupils attend. With empathy and high expectations, the school uses this information to support pupils to attend school as often as possible, sometimes securing significant improvements in individual cases.

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The school provides systematic support for staff, including to promote their well-being. It considers concerns about workload seriously and takes steps to address any issues.

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Through the recent turbulent period, some parents lost confidence in the school. The trust takes parental complaints seriously. The school does much to engage with parents. For example, there are programmed opportunities for parents to discuss their child’s progress. The school also offers frequent drop-ins and workshops and has established a ‘parent engagement group’, where wider school issues are discussed. The school is in the process of consulting with parents about a new home-school communication approach. At present, routine home-school communication is variable in both frequency and content, leaving some parents wanting more information about their children’s education.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s routine communication with parents is variable. This theme underpins concerns expressed by a minority of parents who lack confidence about aspects of the school’s provision. The school should ensure that communication with parents is more consistent and effective.  Tasks in lessons do not consistently support pupils to practise and build knowledge and skills. Sometimes, activities do not take enough account of pupils’ prior learning or give them enough opportunity to build towards the next step. This means that pupils’ learning is not promoted as consistently well as it could be. The school should ensure that tasks are well designed and pitched appropriately to support pupils towards securing the intended learning.

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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 to be outstanding for its overall effectiveness. 8 and 9 July 2025

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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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This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, The Bridge School, to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in December 2013.

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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.

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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). 8 and 9 July 2025

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School details

School category Academy special converter

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form

Dates of previous inspection 11 and 12 December 2019, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The Bridge School is part of The Bridge MAT Ltd. It caters for pupils with severe learning difficulties or autism. All pupils have EHC plans.  The school is split over two sites, slightly over half a mile apart. Primary pupils are educated at the school’s registered address. Secondary pupils and sixth-form students are based at 28 Carleton Road, London N7 0EQ.  Since the previous inspection, the school has restructured its leadership team under a single headteacher. Most of the school’s senior leaders have joined the school or taken up their current positions since the previous inspection.  The school does not currently use any alternative provision. 8 and 9 July 2025

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 The school meets the requirements of the provider access legislation, which requires schools to provide pupils in Years 8 to 13 with information and engagement about approved technical education qualifications and apprenticeships.

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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. Inspectors discussed the impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the CEO, the head of school improvement and the head of people services for the trust. They also met with the headteacher, senior leadership team, other leaders and staff.  The lead inspector held discussions with the chair of trustees, the chair of the local governing body and other directors and governors. He spoke with a representative of the local authority by telephone.  Inspectors visited lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work and records. Inspectors met with groups of pupils.  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.  The lead inspector visited the off-site sports day that took place on the second day of the inspection.  The inspection team took account of the views expressed by staff, pupils and parents using Ofsted Parent View and online inspection surveys. They considered the views expressed in correspondence received from parents, both before and during the inspection.

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Inspection team

Clive Dunn, lead inspector His Majesty’s Inspector

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Inspection team

Russell Bennett His Majesty’s Inspector 8 and 9 July 2025

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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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