The Bridge School
Sprites Lane, Ipswich, IP8 3NDOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
The Bridge School is a special school in Ipswich for ages 4 to 19. It is one of the 357 schools in Suffolk. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in June 2023.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 27 June 2023, report published 19 September 2023
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years provision
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 27 June 2023
Pupils have a range of special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). All pupils have severe learning difficulties. Most do not communicate verbally. Pupils find a voice at The Bridge School. They are helped to make their wants and feelings known. Pupils' strong relationships with staff help them to make themselves understood. Pupils achieve well from their individual starting points. Progress takes place very slowly, over long periods of time. Pupils are helped to keep trying by skilled staff, who persevere alongside pupils and who do not give up. Pupils enjoy celebrating their successes and receiving rewards for their efforts. Pupils behave very well. Some pupils' needs make it difficult for them to respond to instructions and follow rules. They are helped to try different strategies to manage their behaviour when feelings and emotions threaten to become overwhelming and out of control. Pupils get on well together and treat each other with kindness. Pupils rightly feel safe at school. They are relaxed and comfortable in the school environment. Pupils enjoy the wide range of opportunities that are provided for them. For example, they go on residential visits, in many cases managing to stay away from home for the first time successfully.
What the school should improve
- Some subjects are less well developed than others. For example, in some subjects, the most important vocabulary for pupils to learn has not been identified fully and the approach to assessment is not completely established. Where this is the case, some pupils do not make as much progress as they could. Leaders should ensure that all subjects are fully developed so that pupils achieve as well as they can across the curriculum.
- A small minority of parents are unhappy with the overall effectiveness of the school. Of this group, some have lost trust in the school altogether. Where this is the case, relationships between parents and the school are strained. Leaders should take action to improve relationships with this group of parents and to re-build trust where it has broken down.
Exam results
SATs results (key stage 2), 2024/25
21 pupils took the tests
Pupil numbers and mix
257 pupils on roll, with places for 273
Schools near The Bridge School
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stone Lodge Academy | 1 mile | Ofsted judgements: Inadequate to requires improvement | Attainment 8: 0.4 |
| Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy | 3 miles | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| Woodbridge Road Academy | 3 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good to outstanding | Attainment 8: 12.8 |
| Sir Bobby Robson School | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 2.0 |
| New Skill Centre | 4 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 10.9 |
School details
- School type
- Academy special sponsor led
- Sector
- Academy
- Trust
- UNITY SCHOOLS PARTNERSHIP
- Age range
- 4 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Ms Tina Sharman
- Phone
- 01473556200
- Address
- Sprites Lane, Ipswich, IP8 3ND
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- URN
- 147162
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Exam results for 2024/25 from the Department for Education. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.