Chapel Bridge School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 25 June 2024

Pupils engage with learning and the wider world well at Chapel Bridge School. Prior to joining the school, many pupils have missed a lot of education. However, the school has established an effective transition process that enables pupils to adapt well. All pupils have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) compounded by some behavioural difficulties. The school prioritises supporting pupils to manage their emotional responses to the world around them. Through personalised approaches, pupils are enabled to behave in socially appropriate ways. Consequently, the school is a calm, welcoming and harmonious learning environment. Through the curriculum, pupils' social and emotional well-being is prioritised. Staff and pupils form strong, trusting relationships. Overcoming the barriers that have hindered pupils in their previous settings is addressed well. As a result, pupils' social and emotional obstacles to learning are diminished and pupils embrace learning. Pupils have a breadth of opportunities to learn about the wider world around them. For example, pupils visit local parks to develop their social skills as well as their physical fitness. Pupils develop a sense of belonging to the area in which they live through visits to places of natural, cultural and historical importance. Throughout the school, pupils develop their understanding of consent, free speech, democracy and inclusion. Pupils participate in decision-making processes about their learning. Pupils' voices are respected and their views are celebrated. The school council is made up of pupils who have been elected by their peers and their thoughts about the school are valued.

What the school should improve

• The school has not identified and sequenced precisely the knowledge that pupils should learn and remember in some areas of the curriculum. Consequently, pupils do not build on their prior learning well in some subject areas. The school should ensure that pupils learn a well-sequenced curriculum that enables them to build incrementally more complex knowledge in all areas of the curriculum.
• Assessment is not used effectively to check what pupils know and do not know. This results in pupils not developing a strong understanding and recalling prior knowledge to help them learn new concepts. The school should ensure that assessment is used to identify what pupils know and gaps in their knowledge so that they can support their learning more effectively.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)