Bridgeview Special School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

Bridgeview Special School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

The co-principals of this school are Robert Abrahamsen and Maria Hope.

This school is part of Venn Academy Trust, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer (CEO), Dr Simon Witham, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by Terry Johnson. There is also an executive headteacher, Nicola Witham, who is responsible for this school and two others.

What is it like to attend this school?

Bridgeview is a school where children thrive. The pupils are full of energy and ke...en to learn. The staff has no ceiling on its aspirations for the pupils.

The pupils achieve extremely well.

Staff and pupils unite in their positive approach to learning. The school recognises and celebrates pupils' successes, whether large or small.

Pupils are kind and considerate. They can collect rewards and convert them into tokens for the school shop. This is carefully linked to helping pupils to manage money.

Staff reinforce school routines and expectations, which the pupils meet without fail. The school offers a calm and purposeful place for the pupils to learn in. It helps them grow in confidence across the curriculum.

Activities include science experiments, daily reading, and well-considered mathematics tasks in lessons.

The school offers a wide variety of well-considered clubs, trips and leadership opportunities. Pupils enjoy taking responsibility for different aspects of the school.

For example, the school council helps raise funds for local charities. The trips for pupils are educational. They also build confidence and character, such as interacting with the public at local art galleries.

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

The school offers a broad and flexible curriculum. This helps the staff to adapt and refine the subject content to the bespoke needs of the pupils. This is possible because the staff know the pupils and their learning barriers well.

Pupils are proud of the work they produce in lessons. For example, they confidently describe artwork they complete in the school's studio. Teachers have excellent subject knowledge.

They receive training tailored to the pupils' needs. This empowers staff to give exceptional, bespoke support. Displays and resources also help pupils access the high-quality curriculum.

For example, using pictures, emojis, and physical resources enables non-verbal pupils share their views well with staff.

The school has a clear and determined approach to ensuring all pupils are readers. This is being realised.

Pupils who need help with reading get daily support from skilled staff. This enables pupils to quickly gain the knowledge and skills they need to become confident, fluent readers. Dedicated reading areas engage, motivate, and excite the pupils.

Pupils' attendance is high. The school works with families and pupils to embed school in their daily lives. For example, staff celebrate good behaviour with pupils at school and in the community.

Teachers manage the behaviour of pupils in school exceptionally well. This helps to keep pupils calm and ready to learn. Staff and pupil relationships are superb.

When emotional, pupils listen to staff and respond positively. The pupils reset without delay and re-engage with their learning quickly. Staff keep the time pupils are out of lessons to a minimum.

All curriculum areas identify subject enrichment opportunities. They are accessible to all, for example food technology clubs and the Bridgeview Café, which run once a term. Pupils use their mathematics knowledge to manage the café budget.

The school's extra-curricular activities enable pupils to experience a range of activities. These include residential visits in the Lincolnshire countryside, where pupils canoe and abseil, which helps develop their reliance. Also, there are sports clubs and skateboarding on the school site.

Pupils engage positively with their friends in the clubs and activities.

Pupils enjoy a curriculum that weaves in beliefs from different faiths. This helps pupils appreciate the diverse society in which they live.

Pupils learn about relationships and staying healthy in a sensitive and age-appropriate manner. The pupils know the importance of being safe online and in the real world. They can explain how to keep personal details private when accessing the internet.

The staff feel valued and encouraged to continue their professional development. They use research and best practice from other institutions to improve the school.

The trustees and governors thoroughly understand the school's unique nature.

They work with school staff to remove pupils' learning barriers. The trust, school, governors, and trustees have a clear vision to improve the school and never stand still as a provider.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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 outstanding for its overall effectiveness.

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.

This is the first ungraded inspection since we judged the school to be outstanding for overall effectiveness in March 2019.