Three Bridges Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Outcome

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

What is it like to attend this school?

Three Bridges Primary is a remarkable school.

Its vision for pupils is 'a developing critical mind; eyes wide open, hands outstretched; a full, strong and healthy heart'. This is thoroughly integrated and realised through all of its work. The school is highly effective in developing the 'whole child' to be academically successful and physically and mentally healthy.

The curriculum is ambitious and carefully constructed, providing a highly positive and inspiring learning environment. From Nursery, children establish ...strong foundations in their learning, including how to communicate, cooperate and care for each other. This is built on throughout the school, with teaching helping pupils to acquire a broad range of knowledge and skills.

Pupils, particularly those who are disadvantaged, achieve exceptionally well.

The school has very high expectations for pupils' conduct. This contributes to how well pupils thrive here.

They attend well and show positive attitudes. The school's approach to promoting pupils' personal development is also very well structured. It helps them to become confident, articulate and respectful individuals.

For example, pupils enjoy engaging in debates and contributing their views meaningfully. They take on roles such as digital sports leaders and members of parliament. Pupils also relish the various trips and clubs, especially for sports and the arts.

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

The school has developed a very ambitious curriculum. Early English is emphasised, with a strong focus on developing pupils' language from the Nursery onwards. For example, Nursery-age children enjoy learning words to talk about dinosaurs and their diets.

Reading is also highly valued and prioritised. Starting in the Reception class, the effective approach to phonics enables children to blend and separate sounds to read words accurately. By Year 1, pupils read with increased fluency and accuracy.

Those who struggle receive targeted support. This boosts their confidence and reading skills. The curriculum is highly effective in developing pupils' composition skills, including using phonics knowledge to write words and sentences accurately.

Teachers receive excellent professional development. This equips them with the expertise to deliver the curriculum across all subjects consistently well. They impart knowledge carefully and check pupils' learning skilfully.

This helps to ensure that teaching develops and deepens pupils' knowledge in progressive steps. In mathematics, for example, Reception-age children learn to count to five and understand how to add or subtract through various approaches. By Year 1, they apply what they know to add and subtract with a wider range of numbers.

Well-focused teaching also helps pupils to know and remember more in greater detail. For example, in geography, Year 3 pupils confidently recall the differences between a map and a globe and make comparisons between different hemispheres.

Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) achieve very well.

This is due to the school's robust approaches to the identification and assessment of pupils' needs and careful adaptations to resources and teaching. Staff provide expert support, which helps pupils to learn effectively with increasing independence.

The school places a strong emphasis on pupils' behaviour and conduct.

Right from the Nursery Year, children learn to cooperate, take turns, play purposely with each other and be responsible. Older pupils help and support each other, including in the playground. Pupils flourish because they are supported to love learning.

They feel very safe and say that bullying is rare, with teachers addressing any incidents swiftly. The school also works very effectively to improve the attitudes of the small minority of pupils who struggle to regulate their behaviour. The school has also prioritised punctuality, emphasising why this is important to pupils, both now and in their future lives.

The school has thoughtfully incorporated religious education and personal, social, health and economic education into its curriculum. Students learn about online safety and what they can do to protect themselves. For example, they develop a strong understanding of water safety, including learning how to kayak and canoe safely near a canal.

Additionally, the curriculum enables pupils to build a deep appreciation for different faiths, cultures and communities.

The school has successfully created a culture of growth, trust and innovation for staff. Leaders, including governors, are highly reflective and use an evidence-informed approach to bring about further improvements.

Their approach to checking that their work leads to impact is forensic.

Professional development is of the highest quality. Staff benefit from conducting 'passion' projects that contribute to their professional development as well as the school more widely.

Staff highly appreciate the efforts of leaders to reduce workload, including using a bespoke assessment system and allocated time to embed new initiatives. Staff well-being is a priority, and they value the well-being days.

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 to be 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 July 2019.

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