The Bridge Academy

The Bridge Academy

Address: Wissage Road, Bridge Short Stay School, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6SW Unique reference number (URN): 149651

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils achieve well from their starting points. Leaders understand these starting points and ensure that pupils are supported to rebuild confidence in learning and re-engage successfully with education. This is an important first step.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils make progress across the curriculum and enjoy practical subjects most. They learn to cook and become successful artists. Pupils demonstrate improvements in their learning, particularly in reading and mathematics.

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Achievement Expected standard

Achievement is reflected not only in qualifications but also in pupils' renewed engagement with education, improved attendance and greater readiness for future learning. Older pupils gain relevant qualifications and develop appropriate knowledge and skills for their next stage of education, training or employment. They can discuss their future aspirations confidently and understand the pathways available to achieve them.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders understand that many pupils join the school with significant barriers to regular attendance, including exclusion, anxiety and negative perceptions of school. Attendance is promoted as important for all. Leaders analyse attendance carefully and work closely with pupils, families and external agencies to identify and address barriers. As a result, many pupils improve their attendance over time and re-engage with education. Staff act quickly when concerns emerge and provide support that helps pupils return to learning successfully. Pupils increasingly recognise the value of attending school and participating in the opportunities available to them.

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Attendance and behaviour Expected standard

Leaders have established clear expectations for behaviour that are understood by pupils and staff. Expectations are underpinned by positive relationships and a shared understanding of pupils' individual needs. Staff respond consistently and proportionately when difficulties arise and help pupils develop more positive ways of managing challenge and regulating their emotions. Pupils report that adults treat them fairly and listen to their views. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and supportive. The school provides a calm environment where pupils feel safe and able to learn. As a result, pupils generally engage positively in lessons and demonstrate improving attitudes towards their learning and education.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders have developed a curriculum that reflects the needs of the pupils who attend the school. It balances academic learning with personal development and preparation for adulthood. Pupils engage in a broad range of subjects and experiences that support their future education, training and employment.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders prioritise reading. Those at the early stages of reading are supported to sound and blend words successfully. Leaders have identified communication, language and writing as ongoing developments. Many pupils arrive with limited confidence in expressing their ideas and explaining their thinking. Leaders have emphasised pupils' vocabulary, speaking, listening and writing across the curriculum. However, this is not embedded consistently across the school.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Teachers know pupils well and use this understanding to support engagement with learning. Most staff present learning clearly and provide support that enables pupils to access the curriculum successfully. However, not all staff use assessment information as effectively as they could to identify gaps in learning, particularly for pupils who are persistently absent.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders understand the strengths and areas for development in curriculum implementation and teaching. Professional learning has improved many aspects of teaching.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders identify pupils' needs accurately. They understand the barriers that many pupils face. These include disrupted education, exclusion, poor attendance and social care involvement.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Staff know pupils well and build positive relationships that help pupils re-engage with education. Adults take time to understand pupils' experiences, strengths and needs. Pupils feel understood and supported. Parents, carers and external professionals share this view.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders work effectively with a range of agencies to identify unmet need and secure support for pupils. This includes disadvantaged pupils, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities and those known to children's social care. Staff contribute positively to statutory assessment processes and seek specialist advice when needed. This helps pupils access the support they require and reduces barriers to learning and wellbeing.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Pupils' strengths, interests and aspirations are recognised and used well to promote engagement. Many pupils develop greater confidence, participate more fully in school life and become increasingly positive about their future opportunities.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders understand the needs of vulnerable groups and use additional funding to provide some targeted support appropriately. However, they do not consistently evaluate impact, limiting the effectiveness of some interventions.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the school's context well. They have established a culture that places pupils' needs at the centre of decision-making. Their determination to provide pupils with a positive educational experience is reflected in the calm, nurturing and purposeful environment that characterises the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders are reflective and ambitious. They understand the school's strengths and areas for development and use self-evaluation and external feedback to inform priorities for improvement. They are receptive to challenge and demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt their practice in the best interests of pupils. Leaders have worked successfully to establish a culture based on positive relationships, inclusion and high expectations. Staff speak highly of the support they receive and value the approachable and collaborative nature of senior leaders. There is a shared commitment to improving pupils' experiences and outcomes. Staff appreciate that leaders are mindful of workload and wellbeing while maintaining a clear focus on continued improvement.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders work constructively with families, external agencies and trust leaders. Parents, carers and professional partners recognise leaders' commitment to pupils and their willingness to work collaboratively to overcome barriers to success. Increasingly positive relationships with external stakeholders support the school's work to improve outcomes for vulnerable pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Trustees provide appropriate support and challenge. They understand the context of the provision and receive regular information about key aspects of the school's work. Safeguarding, inclusion, attendance and pupils' achievement remain central priorities. Trustees and trust leaders share leaders' ambition for the school and maintain a clear focus on securing further improvements while sustaining the positive developments already achieved.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have established a broad personal development programme that reflects pupils' needs, experiences and aspirations. The school's vision of helping pupils become 'School Ready, Work Ready and Life Ready' is evident throughout the curriculum and wider opportunities provided for pupils.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences that support their social, emotional and personal development. These include personal, social, health and economic education, careers education, enrichment activities, work-related learning, cooking and forest school experiences. Leaders have designed these opportunities to broaden pupils' experiences and help them develop the knowledge, skills and confidence needed for life beyond school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pupils develop resilience and self-confidence. Many describe significant improvements in how they feel about themselves since joining the school. They value the support they receive from staff and recognise the difference this has made to their lives. Pupils develop a stronger sense of belonging and feel accepted and valued within the school community.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

The programme supports pupils to understand how to keep themselves safe. Pupils learn about risks they may face within their communities and online. They are encouraged to make positive choices and develop an increasing understanding of healthy relationships, wellbeing and personal responsibility.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Preparation for adulthood is effective. Careers guidance is personalised and helps pupils understand the opportunities available to them after Year 11. Older pupils speak confidently about college, apprenticeships and employment. They can explain the steps needed to achieve their ambitions and understand the pathways available to them. Pupils who previously had limited aspirations develop greater confidence, independence and ambition over time. The school provides opportunities for pupils to discover and develop their talents and interests through enrichment activities, mentoring, work-related experiences and wider curriculum opportunities. Staff recognise pupils' strengths and encourage them to participate in new experiences that extend their interests and aspirations.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

By the time pupils leave the school, they are generally better prepared for their next stage of education, training or employment. They leave with greater confidence, clearer aspirations and a stronger sense of self-worth.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

The Bridge Academy is where pupils find their way back to education and rediscover who they are. Pupils arrive having had difficult experiences. Many have been excluded from their previous schools. Others have missed significant parts of their education or faced considerable challenges in their lives. This has made attending school a challenge. All pupils arrive unsure whether school is a place where they can belong or succeed.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Here, pupils are given another chance. Adults take time to understand each pupil’s journey. They recognise not only the barriers pupils face but also the strengths, talents and ambitions that may have gone unnoticed. Over time, pupils begin to see themselves differently. They develop confidence, rediscover their abilities and start to believe that success is possible.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Leaders promote kind relationships as a minimum expectation. Pupils are welcomed by adults who invest significant time in getting to know them. Staff genuinely want pupils to do well. Throughout the day, there is a calm and purposeful atmosphere. Pupils know that the expectations of respectful behaviour are there to make their time in school happy. Over time, many replace frustration with confidence, uncertainty with resilience and disengagement with achievement.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils are safe. Adults notice when something is wrong and pupils feel reassured by this. Many begin to engage with learning and to focus on gaining qualifications. Many pupils enjoy learning. They read, create, cook and explore. These skills help them prepare for adult life. Older pupils speak confidently about college, apprenticeships and employment because adults help them believe these futures are achievable.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Most importantly, pupils achieve a sense of belonging. They are no longer defined by the difficulties they once faced. Instead, they are encouraged to focus on who they want to be and jobs they might do. The Bridge Academy offers stability, hope and the belief that their future can be brighter than their past.

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Next steps

Leaders should further develop pupils' communication, language and writing skills so that they can express their ideas, explain their thinking and communicate their learning confidently across the curriculum. Leaders should strengthen the use of assessment so that gaps in learning, including those arising from disrupted educational experiences and absence, are identified and addressed consistently. Leaders should strengthen their evaluation of additional funding and targeted support so that the impact on pupils' academic, personal and wider outcomes can be demonstrated with greater precision.

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About this inspection

This school is part of the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the acting chief executive officer (CEO), Lee Miller, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Helen Stevenson.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty’s Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with trustees, the CEO of the trust, school leaders and school staff during the inspection.

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About this inspection

This school joined the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership in September 2024. It previously operated as an alternative provision.

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About this inspection

This school operates as an academy alternative provision for pupils who experience social, emotional or mental health challenges and/or who have been excluded from their previous schools. Some of the pupils on roll have special educational needs and/or disabilities. Some pupils have an education, health and care plan when they arrive and others undergo an assessment for one while they are at the school.

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About this inspection

There are 4 pupils on roll who are dual registered, meaning they have shared registration with mainstream schools. Their placements are normally for a short period of time. All other pupils are placed at this setting by the local authority.

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About this inspection

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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About this inspection

The school makes use of 3 alternative provisions.

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About this inspection

A minority of pupils are on reduced timetables to support with reintegration back into education.

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Lead inspector:

Antony Bradshaw, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 14 July 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects and regulates services that care for children and young people.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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