Bridge Learning Campus Ofsted Report

Full report

In accordance with section 44(2) of the Education Act 2005, Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector is of the opinion that this school requires significant improvement because it is performing significantly less well than it might in all the circumstances reasonably be expected to perform.

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Improve teaching, learning and assessment across all phases, including the early years, and, hence, pupils’ achievement by:
  • continuing to raise expectations of what pupils can achieve
  • ensuring that teaching meets the needs of all pupils, especially pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities
  • ensuring that the most able pupils in every year, including the early years, reach the standards of which they are capable
  • ensuring that pupils know how to improve their work and do so
  • improving writing skills across all parts of the school.
• Improve leadership and management by:
  • firmly establishing recent improvements in leaders’ accountability
  • ensuring middle leaders’ evaluations of the quality of teaching are accurate
  • developing assessment policy and practice so that teachers have an accurate picture of pupils’ progress, which allows them to plan the next steps in learning.
• Improve pupils’ personal development, behaviour and welfare by:
  • continuing to improve attendance so that it at least matches other schools nationally
  • setting high expectations of presentation so that pupils develop a sense of pride in their work. It is recommended that the school commissions an external review of its use of pupil premium funding.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management

Requires improvement

• Over time, school leaders have not been effective in addressing the inadequate achievements of pupils in key stages 2 and 4. Leaders have not set high enough expectations of what pupils can achieve. Leaders and teachers have convinced themselves that pupils cannot achieve as much as pupils in other schools because of the difficulties that they face. This culture has reinforced pupils’ already low expectations of themselves.
• Until recently, senior leaders were ineffective in holding teachers to account for the quality of their teaching. Monitoring and evaluation have been weak, which has led to a lack of improvement in the quality of teaching across the school. Leaders and teachers have had an overgenerous view of the quality of teaching.
• An improvement in the quality of leadership this year has resulted from the support and challenge of the Trust in Learning (Academies) (TiLA), a multi-academies trust. Leaders’ ambitions for the success of their pupils have increased markedly. The impact of this increased impetus for improvement is evident in a number of aspects of school life. New systems for assessing and tracking pupils’ progress are giving leaders a more detailed understanding of the progress pupils are making. These systems allow teachers to intervene when pupils’ progress is stalling. The systems are not refined enough to be completely effective but are having an impact on pupils’ progress in both the primary and secondary phases.
• There have been recent improvements in the use of assessment information to check on progress. However, teachers are not diagnosing pupils’ misunderstandings or gaps in their knowledge. Therefore, they cannot plan the appropriate next steps in pupils’ learning.
• Leaders are beginning to hold teachers to account for the quality of their work and the progress that pupils make. Senior leaders challenge middle leaders appropriately about the quality of teaching in their subject areas. The headteacher has introduced a detailed scrutiny of individual departments. This has raised expectations of subject areas and teachers. It is beginning to have an effect on improving the quality of teaching. However, the impact is not yet consistent or established firmly across the school.
• Leaders have not made effective use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils. Until recently, they did not monitor the progress of these pupils effectively. As a result, pupils were not receiving the additional support that they needed. The position has improved this year and leaders monitor pupils more closely. As yet, however, the impact on pupils’ progress has been limited. Leaders are beginning to use funding more effectively for those pupils who join Year 7 needing to catch up with their peers. Pupils are benefiting from additional support now and are beginning to make more progress.
• Leaders have not made good use of the additional funding that the school receives for pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities. They have not made sure that teachers implement the plans that are in place to support pupils. Consequently, pupils are making inadequate progress.
• Leaders have raised expectations of pupils’ behaviour and conduct. This has had a positive effect throughout the school. The number of pupils that the school excludes has dropped very significantly and is in line with other schools in the country. Expectations of behaviour in classes are higher. This has created a positive atmosphere in which pupils can focus on learning.
• Senior leaders have ensured that there is a broad curriculum for pupils from early years through to Year 11. In the primary phase, alongside English and mathematics, pupils enjoy a good range of topics covering, for example, science, history, geography and the arts. There is a broad range of key stage 4 GCSE options. Pupils receive good support when choosing which options to take. Leaders ensure that pupils have a wide range of sports and arts clubs. Many pupils enjoy these and wear their membership badges with pride.

Governance of the school

• The board of trustees and the chief executive officer of the trust reacted appropriately to the declining performance of the school. They have acted to support the school’s leaders and to hold them to account for the school’s performance. As a result of their action, there has been an improvement in standards for pupils across the age range.
• The trust and local governing body are self-critical and review the quality of their leadership regularly. They are ambitious for the school to improve the lives of families in the community, and so they are keen to ensure that they improve the school rapidly.
• The trust works closely with the local governing body to check on the work of school leaders. Both the trust and the local governing body understand the school’s local context and they know the school well.
• The chief executive officer has used the trust’s resources effectively to help the school. The trust has created additional leadership roles to increase the school’s capacity to improve. This is having a positive impact. Also, teachers are working together across the trust to ensure that their assessments are accurate.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
• There is a strong commitment to keeping pupils safe across the whole school. Staff are well trained and know what to do should they have a concern for a pupil. Pupils are confident that they can go to staff with any problems. Pupils can also put their concerns in a ‘worry box’ that staff monitor regularly. Pupils understand how to keep themselves safe online and they are taught about the dangers of extremism.
• School staff work closely with external agencies, such as the social care team, to protect vulnerable pupils. They also work hard with parents to ensure that pupils are safe from harm.
• The school’s record-keeping systems and records are comprehensive and up to date. All the appropriate checks are made when recruiting staff and other adults who work with pupils. Governors check the records regularly to ensure that they are kept accurately.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Inadequate

• Most teachers’ expectations of what pupils can achieve are too low. This has been a longstanding problem for the school. From the time children join the nursery, right through until they leave in Year 11, leaders and teachers expect that pupils will achieve less than their peers in other schools. Consequently, they do. This attitude is beginning to change, but it is deep-seated and requires a substantial shift in the school’s culture.
• Teachers in both the primary and secondary phases do not diagnose exactly what pupils understand and what they do not. Therefore, they cannot plan the most appropriate next step in learning for each pupil. Often, this results in pupils having a superficial knowledge of a topic rather than truly understanding it.
• Teachers are not making sure pupils understand their work before moving on to a new topic. This means that while pupils can answer questions correctly shortly after completing the work, they are not able to recall or use their learning later in the year.
• Too often, pupils’ progress is weakened by teaching that does not build knowledge and understanding in a logical manner. In the primary phase in mathematics, in particular, teachers ask pupils to skip between topics in a manner that makes it difficult for them to consolidate their learning. Pupils make better progress where teachers make sure that a coherent sequence of learning activities builds a firm foundation of understanding.
• Teachers have responded to the leaders’ recent drive to raise standards by setting work for pupils that comes closer to the level seen in other schools. For many pupils, this is accelerating their progress. However, teaching is still not meeting the needs of the most able pupils in either the primary or secondary phase. Expectations for this group remain too low. They are allowed to coast, often working at the same level as other pupils. They are rarely challenged to think deeply about a problem or idea. On occasion, when this does happen, pupils respond positively and are keen to learn.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities are not taught well. Regularly, in both primary and in secondary phases, teachers set pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities work that they cannot do. They do not receive the additional support that they need to make progress. This often results in them becoming disheartened and giving up. Although each pupil has a plan which details the support that they need, teachers rarely put them into practice. The exception to this is in the early years where teachers and teaching assistants work together efficiently to ensure that every child who needs additional help gets what they need.
• Teachers in the secondary phase do not focus enough on writing. As a result, pupils do not develop their writing skills sufficiently. Teachers leave poor punctuation, spelling and grammar uncorrected and so pupils make the same mistakes repeatedly. Teachers do not give pupils enough opportunities to write extended pieces of work. They ask pupils to develop their arguments and structure their thinking into an extended piece of writing infrequently. In the primary phase, teachers teach writing more effectively. However, pupils regularly misspell common words, which teachers leave uncorrected. This weakens pupils’ progress as their writing develops.
• Pupils’ progress is weakened in all year groups because they do not know how to improve their work. Teachers are not good at pinpointing exactly what pupils need to do to improve their work. Sometimes, teachers give clear advice, but this has limited impact because they do not insist that pupils then correct or edit their work.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Requires improvement

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare requires improvement.
• Leaders and teachers have not ensured that pupils’ attitudes to their learning are good. Pupils lack self-confidence and pride in their work, particularly in key stages 3 and 4. Teachers rarely inspire pupils to challenge themselves. As a result, pupils regularly settle for safe answers rather than thinking hard and taking a risk. They rely heavily on the support of teachers and often lack staying power when faced with an extended activity.
• Relationships across the school are good. Pupils treat staff with respect. They treat each other with warmth and good humour. Pupils are tolerant of those who hold different views or who come from different backgrounds.
• Pupils are taught how to keep themselves safe online and in the real world in ways which are appropriate at different ages. They discuss current affairs and issues that will affect them as they grow up and become active citizens.
• Leaders ensure that vulnerable pupils, such as those with mental health problems, are well supported. As a result of the help pupils receive, they are able to continue their studies and prosper.
• Pupils are prepared carefully for the moves that they make through the school from one key stage to another. Staff work closely together to ensure that pupils are ready, and that the changeover is smooth. Secondary pupils receive good advice about their GCSE options and future careers.
• Many pupils stay behind after school to take part in the good range of sports clubs and societies on offer. Pupils enjoy taking part in sports teams and arts groups and talk animatedly about their chosen activities.
• Some pupils attend alternative providers. Most of these are secondary-aged pupils who struggle to succeed in mainstream school. School staff and providers work together closely to ensure that this group of pupils experience some success and return to school when they are ready.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils requires improvement.
• When teaching does not meet their needs, some pupils become disengaged and a few disrupt the learning of others. However, pupils and teachers say that behaviour is improving as a result of higher expectations this year.
• Behaviour around the school site is generally calm and orderly. Pupils behave properly at lunchtime and between lessons. There are occasions in the secondary phase when a minority become too boisterous, but these are relatively rare.
• Attendance rates have been below those of other schools for some time. However, leaders and staff have worked hard to deal with this issue and attendance is improving now. Some pupils are absent far too often. School staff are working with these pupils to reduce their absences, and their attendance is improving, albeit slowly.

Outcomes for pupils Inadequate

• Pupils achieve less well at key stage 4 than they do in other schools. In 2017, they made weaker progress than in 90% of schools across the country. In key stage 2, standards are far too low also. Last year, pupils made less progress than pupils in 95% of schools. Pupils are now beginning to make better progress in both key stages, but there is a long way to go before standards are similar to those in other schools.
• Standards in key stage 1 are better. They are at least in line with those in other schools. In the past, standards in early years were above those in other schools. However, they have declined and are now in line with the national average.
• The most able pupils underachieve from when they start in nursery through to taking their GCSEs. This is because expectations of what they can achieve are universally too low. From early years through to key stage 4, teachers do not give this group of pupils the level of work that they need to stimulate their thinking. They do not receive enough opportunities to improve their resilience and ability to work on extended tasks without help. They learn rapidly that second best is good enough.
• Pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities make inadequate progress across all sections of the school, but, particularly, in key stages 2 to 4. This is because teachers do not monitor their progress effectively or regularly to ensure that the work that they give them meets their needs.
• In key stage 2, pupils are making better progress in reading than they have in the past. Their progress in writing and mathematics remains weak. Pupils’ progress in key stage 1 is better. Overall, pupils are reaching standards that are similar to pupils in other schools. Pupils are reaching levels in the Year 1 phonics screening check that compare with national expectations.
• In key stages 3 and 4, pupils have achieved poorly in most subjects for a number of years. There are signs of improvement in some subjects, including English and mathematics, as a result of the higher expectations that leaders have set this year. However, standards remain low.
• Disadvantaged pupils have not made adequate progress by the time that they leave the primary phase. This is because they fall behind in key stage 2. They also make poor progress in the secondary phase. This has been the case for a number of years. They have not received the help that they need to succeed. Leaders are now ensuring that they spend the additional funds that they receive more wisely. This is beginning to have an impact, but these pupils have a long way to catch up.
• Standards of literacy are low across the school from key stage 2 onwards. In particular, the standard of writing is weak. The poor standard of spelling, punctuation and grammar is preventing pupils from expressing themselves clearly. Ultimately, it damages their chances of furthering their education and their job prospects.

Early years provision Requires improvement

• Over time, the proportion of children achieving a good level of development has declined. From being above the national average, outcomes fell slightly below the national average in 2017. The proportions of children assessed as meeting the early learning goals for reading, writing and mathematics has also fallen below national comparators. In many cases, this reflects a decline in children’s attainment when they join the school. However, adults are not providing sufficient levels of challenge for children who start school with knowledge and skills above those that are typical for their age.
• Teachers and other adults have a secure understanding of the early years curriculum. They use this to ensure that children develop their early reading, writing and mathematics skills appropriately. However, in the Reception classes, teachers do not consistently use their knowledge of children’s prior learning to plan activities which are matched precisely to children’s needs. As a result, at times, teachers give the most able children the same work as other children in the class. Also, where teachers give most able children additional levels of challenge, for example in writing, children do not possess the skills to complete these tasks independently. This is weakening the progress that these children make.
• Early years provision is overseen by the phase 1 assistant headteacher. She has a secure understanding of assessment information and the progress that children make from their starting points.
• Adults foster strong relationships with children, which are rooted in mutual respect. They model their high expectations for behaviour, and this has resulted in a calm and orderly environment. Children play well together, collaborating on activities and discussing what they are doing. Adults have identified the need to develop children’s speaking and listening skills and do this by engaging children in structured conversations about their learning. Adults do not, however, routinely explore children’s understanding and deepen their learning sufficiently. This is limiting the progress that children make, especially the most able children.
• Early years staff have developed a learning environment which is lively, colourful and inviting. It captures the children’s imagination and makes them willing learners. Children enjoy the activities that adults provide for them. For example, during the inspection, children in Nursery were exploring what happens to ice on a warm day. They were fully engrossed in the investigation and were able to tell an inspector that the ice was melting and turning to water because of the sun.
• Opportunities for children to practise and develop their reading, writing and number skills through their independent play are too limited. While adult-led activities, both inside and outside, focus on developing these skills, independent activities do not have the same emphasis. When adults provide opportunities to read, write or use numbers independently, for example in the ‘secret writing den’, the majority of children choose not to do this.
• Early years leaders and staff have effective systems to engage with parents. These are proving effective at helping parents to be active participants in their children’s learning. ‘Stay and Play’ sessions keep parents up to date with the school’s approach to teaching and learning. Leaders provide parents with a range of strategies that they can use to help their child learn at home. Parents spoken to during the inspection said that they appreciated these sessions and found them beneficial.
• Safeguarding is effective in the early years and all statutory duties are met.

School details

Unique reference number Local authority Inspection number 139049 Bristol, City of 10047956 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school All-through School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy sponsor-led 3 to 16 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 995 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Gerry Rice Andrew Hardy 01173 534 472 www.bridgelearningcampus.org.uk enquiries@bridgelearningcampus.com Date of previous inspection 11 12 March 2015

Information about this school

• The school is an average-sized school. It has pupils aged from 3–16.
• The school is part of TiLA, a multi-academy trust.
• The proportion of pupils who have SEN and/or disabilities is well above the national average.
• The proportion of pupils supported by pupil premium funding is well above the national average.
• Most pupils are of white British heritage. There are very few from minority ethnic groups and very few speak English as an additional language.
• In 2017, the school did not meet the government’s current floor standards for key stage 4, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress by the end of Year 11. It did meet the floor standards for key stage 2, but was deemed to be coasting.
• Eleven pupils, from Year 4 to Year 11, attend a range of alternative providers. Four pupils are currently attending Landsdown Park and four attend Learning Partnership West. The remainder attend St Matthias Park, Include and Hospital Education.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed learning across a wide range of subjects and age groups and scrutinised a wide range of pupils’ written work. Many of the observations were conducted jointly with senior leaders.
• Inspectors looked at a range of documentation, including minutes of governors’ meetings, development plans, analysis of pupils’ progress, attendance and behaviour data, safeguarding documents and the school’s review of its own performance.
• Meetings were held with governors, the chief executive officer of the multi-academy trust, the headteacher, senior and middle leaders, and groups of pupils. An inspector spoke with the chair of TiLA by telephone.
• Inspectors took account of 31 responses to the online questionnaire, Parent View, and discussions with parents. They also took account of responses to the online staff questionnaire.

Inspection team

Andrew Lovett, lead inspector Mark Thompson Julie Nash Jonathan Dyer Sarah McGinnis

Her Majesty’s Inspector Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector