Bridgeview Special School Ofsted Report

Full report

What does the school need to do to improve further?

• Continue to develop support for the small number of persistently absent pupils to rapidly increase their attendance and narrow the gap in attendance between them and their peers.

Inspection judgements

Effectiveness of leadership and management Outstanding

• Senior leaders work seamlessly as a team to ensure that the quality of education provided at Bridgeview is outstanding. They continually strive to improve standards for pupils attending the school.
• Leaders have developed rigorous systems for tracking the progress of individual pupils in all subjects. Regular reviews of pupils’ progress ensure that emerging gaps in knowledge are quickly identified and action plans implemented to support pupils to achieve.
• Leaders have worked successfully to ensure that pupils balance their academic progress alongside their development of personal and social skills. Leaders communicate their high expectations clearly to staff and pupils to ensure that all pupils, including those with the most extreme needs, make very strong progress. Consequently, many pupils make exceptional gains in their learning, particularly in reading.
• The curriculum is broad, balanced and expertly adapted to meet the needs of pupils. Leaders make sure that pupils receive similar opportunities to their peers in mainstream schools. These include music tuition, work experience in Venn Café and residential trips. Pupils develop their interpersonal skills by working in teams and learn to manage risks in a structured environment.
• Leaders spend additional funding provided to support pupils wisely. As a result, there is no discernible gap between the progress made by these pupils and others. Similarly, additional funding for physical education and sport has been used to extend the range of physical activities on offer. Pupils attend a wide range of sports-based lunchtime clubs, including badminton and cheerleading.
• Leaders make strong provision for pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development. Pupils learn about different faiths and cultures. They experience a range of trips and visits which enable them to put into practice the teaching they receive on respect and how to behave appropriately. Consequently, they have an understanding of others and the wider world. Pupils are very well prepared for life in modern Britain because they learn a lot about different people, cultures and lifestyles. Respect and tolerance are embedded within school life. Pupils have the opportunity to share their views by sitting on the school council.
• Leaders have ensured that teachers and other adults are well trained to carry out their duties. Members of staff say that they value the joint training sessions held with members of staff from other trust schools. Staff are clear about the impact that training has had on their classroom practice and the development of pupils’ progress. For example, after attending speech and language training, new teaching methods were implemented which saw rapid improvements in the use of language by specific pupils.

Governance of the school

• Governors have an excellent balance of experience and expertise which matches with the educational and social needs of pupils. They have strong links with the academy board, the trust CEO and the other schools within the trust.
• Governors receive reports from a range of senior and middle leaders. They visit the school to see it operating for themselves. Governors ask probing questions to ensure that the reports they receive are accurate and relevant.
• Governors have a strong understanding of the effectiveness of the school. They challenge senior leaders systematically to ensure that staffing and additional funding are used highly effectively to improve outcomes for all pupils.

Safeguarding

• The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. There is a robust culture of safeguarding that runs throughout the school, from the senior leadership team to the staff and pupils.
• Leaders and governors recognise the importance of safeguarding and therefore it is discussed at every meeting of the governing body.
• Leaders make sure that all staff are well trained in recognising possible indicators of abuse, including the risks associated with female genital mutilation, radicalisation and online safety.
• Aspects of safeguarding are expertly woven throughout the curriculum. As a result, pupils are highly knowledgeable about how to keep themselves safe, particularly online. Those pupils who need additional support in this area receive one-to-one tuition which improves their understanding of, for example, healthy relationships.

Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Outstanding

• All adults within the school build exceptionally strong relationships with pupils. They have a deep understanding of pupils’ needs and use this knowledge to plan lessons which align with pupils’ interest.
• Teachers use a range of carefully selected activities to gain pupils’ attention and involve them in their learning. For example, in a mathematics class, a carousel of three activities was used effectively to teach fractions and multiplication in different ways. This resulted in pupils’ learning, applying and reinforcing their knowledge of fractions in different settings.
• Teachers set clear targets for pupils in all areas of the curriculum. Lessons are adapted to suit the differing needs of pupils. For example, in food technology, a pupil with a sensory difficulty was completing a pizza topping using a jigsaw activity while the rest of the class physically made pizza. All pupils understood and could recall the process behind making a pizza.
• Work in books shows the progression of subjects from basic concepts to more difficult application of skills. Pupils have multiple opportunities to write at length in all areas of the curriculum. Middle leaders are currently supporting teachers to remove writing prompts to encourage pupils to write independently on a blank page.
• Displays around the school celebrate pupils’ work and achievement. These are particularly strong for the art work produced by the pupils, which is varied and of a high standard.
• Pupils are proud of the work they have achieved and were happy to share this with inspectors. They could talk knowledgeably about the work they had completed and were clear about the next steps for their learning.
• Teachers make very accurate assessments about the progress pupils make. They work alongside colleagues from other trust schools to check that their judgements are correct. They set highly ambitious targets for pupils and then deliver high-quality lessons which enable pupils to reach their targets.
• Effective communication between teachers, support staff and the behaviour team ensures a consistent approach to meeting pupils’ needs. This supports building pupils’ confidence and their trust in adults. For example, visitors are welcomed into the school, and the vast majority of pupils go out of their way to engage with the visitors they meet. This is an indication of how safe pupils feel, but also the development of their communication and social skills.

Personal development, behaviour and welfare Outstanding

Personal development and welfare

• The school’s work to promote pupils’ personal development and welfare is outstanding. Leaders focus on pupils’ personal development, as they know this underpins their engagement with learning. Leaders ensure that pupils benefit from as wide a range of social experiences as possible. These include team games, cooking and serving at the Venn Café and visiting local attractions.
• The school is a calm environment and pupils are clear that they are at the school to learn. The fundamental British values of respect and tolerance are at the heart of the school. Adults display good manners, helpfulness and positive praise, and pupils mirror these behaviours.
• Pupils are very proud to attend Bridgeview and take pride in everything they do. They enjoy recognising and celebrating their own and others’ successes. This was evident during assembly, when the whole school came together to celebrate their weekly achievements in attendance, behaviour and academic subjects.
• Lunchtime is a particularly harmonious time. Staff and pupils eat together and enjoy healthy home-cooked food. Pupils have several menu choices and through discussions with teachers decide what to have to eat. This improves their understanding of the importance of healthy eating. Staff hold positive conversations with pupils, discussing what has happened during the morning, friendships and plans for the future.
• Pupils are safe in school. Pupils, parents and carers say that this is the case, and inspectors agree. Pupils spoken to could identify a safeguarding teacher they would talk to and were clear about how to keep themselves safe in a variety of settings, including online.
• School records show that incidents of bullying of any description are rare. Isolated incidents are recorded and additional support and learning put into place to assist all parties involved.

Behaviour

• The behaviour of pupils is outstanding. The vast majority of parents who responded to the online survey, along with all those spoken to, were in agreement. In moments of heightened emotion, pupils are managed calmly and respectfully by the staff and quickly return to their learning.
• During outdoor breaks, pupils play well with each other. Energetic football matches and role play games are encouraged and supported by staff. Pupils remain polite and courteous to each other, in the main. On the rare occasion that a pupil gets angry, a calm reminder about manners defuses the situation.
• Pupils’ attitudes to learning are excellent. They say that they enjoy school – ‘school is really fun, helps us to learn in a fun way’. They also show this through their attendance. Leaders know exactly why small numbers of pupils are absent and follow up any concerns diligently. Pupils understand that they attend Bridgeview because they ‘have needs’ and acknowledge that the school gives them ‘lots of learning to get smarter, get to a new school and have a better life’.
• Both pupils and adults use the school behaviour policy well. A traffic light system and pearl points (rewards) are used hand in hand to ensure that lessons run smoothly and pupils understand the consequences of their actions.
• Pupils’ positive behaviour in and around school is promoted by excellent relationships between staff and pupils. The parents spoken to said that the behaviour and attitude of their child at home had significantly improved since joining the school. This is as a result of the high-quality communication between the school and home, which includes positive telephone phone calls, review meetings and Christmas lunch.

Outcomes for pupils Outstanding

• Pupils’ attainment on entry is almost always well below that expected for their age. From these very low starting points, many pupils progress rapidly. This enables pupils to achieve outstanding outcomes.
• Since the previous inspection, leaders have developed the mathematics curriculum. This has significantly strengthened outcomes in mathematics overall but particularly in the area of reasoning. This is covered in specific mathematics lessons but also embedded within the wider curriculum, for example during spy school.
• Evidence in pupils’ workbooks, along with that on display around the school, substantiates teachers’ and leaders’ records. These records show high levels of progress across all year groups in a range of subjects.
• Whole-school events, such as ‘spy school’ or ‘the yeti’, are interspersed within the timetable to enhance the curriculum. Well-thought-out planning and preparation ensure that all pupils are involved with activities to suit their particular needs. A hard-to-reach group of three pupils were tasked with setting the scene for the discovery of the yeti and then selling the story to the rest of the school. Activities such as this spark imagination and engagement and allow pupils to problem solve, write at length and work as a team.
• Reading is a strength of the school. Leaders and teachers actively promote varied opportunities for pupils to read. Pupils develop into resilient readers who are comfortable and confident when reading out loud, sounding out words or making a mistake. The vast majority of pupils, and all pupils in the care of the local authority, achieve standards at or above those expected for their age.

School details

Unique reference number 142260 Local authority Kingston Upon Hull City Council Inspection number 10086818 This inspection of the school was carried out under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Type of school First School category Age range of pupils Gender of pupils Academy special converter 5 to 12 Mixed Number of pupils on the school roll 44 Appropriate authority Board of trustees Chair Shelia Wallace-Marshall Executive Headteacher Mr Amraz Ali Headteacher Telephone number Website Email address Mrs Nicola Witham 01482 303300 www.bridgeviewschool.co.uk admin@vennacademy.org Date of previous inspection 17 July 2018

Information about this school

• The school is part of the Venn Academy Trust.
• The number of pupils at the school has increased since the last inspection.
• All pupils attending the school have an education, health and care plan, with the primary need being social, emotional and mental health.
• The proportion of pupils eligible for pupil premium funding is above average. A small proportion of the pupils are girls. Pupils are predominantly from a White British background.
• The majority of pupils live within the Kingston-upon-Hull local authority area. However, a small proportion of pupils travel from the surrounding local authority areas to attend Bridgeview Special School.
• The school offers pupils a range of activities, such as swimming and horse riding, which take place off site. They also host Venn Café, where pupils cook and serve food to members of the school, parents and visitors.

Information about this inspection

• Inspectors observed teaching and learning across a wide range of lessons and learning activities at the school.
• Pupils’ written work was evaluated in lessons and during a book scrutiny.
• Inspectors observed pupils’ conduct while pupils were arriving and leaving school, as well as at breakfast and lunchtime.
• Inspectors spoke to pupils both informally and formally, to six parents and carers and to members of the staff team.
• Inspectors met with the executive headteacher, headteacher, assistant headteachers and middle leaders.
• A meeting was held with two governors, including the chair, and the chief executive officer of the Venn Academy Trust.
• A wide range of documentation was scrutinised, including the school self-evaluation report and the school development plan. Inspectors also reviewed minutes of meetings of the governing board; records of the monitoring of teaching, learning and assessment; pupil, parent and staff surveys and information relating to pupils’ attendance and achievement. Safeguarding documentation, the single central record and records relating to behaviour were also examined.

Inspection team

Tricia Stevens, lead inspector Louise Greatrex Ofsted Inspector Ofsted Inspector