The Constance Bridgeman Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 February 2025

Pupils appreciate the opportunity that this school offers for them to have another chance to access their education. Many pupils have experienced negative experiences and/or considerable disruptions to their education. When pupils attend, they benefit from the support and guidance that the staff offer. Pupils learn to trust adults. They value that staff listen to them. Relationships between staff and pupils are respectful and interactions are positive. This helps pupils to feel at ease and safe in school. The school intends for pupils to do well. However, the current curriculum offer does not enable pupils to achieve as well as they should. Pupils know the school's expectations for their behaviour. They understand that their actions lead to clear consequences and rewards. Some pupils' behaviour disrupts the learning of others. However, pupils generally behave well. Although attendance is improving, too many pupils do not attend school regularly enough. This means that these pupils miss crucial learning opportunities. Pupils receive an increasing range of experiences that go beyond the academic curriculum. For example, they enjoy visiting art galleries and learning how to snowboard. Pupils and staff value the time that they spend together socially, eating lunch prepared and served by pupils.

What the school should improve

• Curricular thinking in some subjects is not developed as well as in others. This means that the key content that pupils need to know is not as equally well sequenced over time across all subjects. The school should continue to put in place their plan of key actions and priorities to develop the curriculum. The school needs to ensure that in all subjects the progression of content and knowledge that pupils learn is well structured and embedded.
• The curriculum offer is not suitably designed in response to pupils' additional needs, starting points or personal interests. This means that pupils' learning does not build from what they know. Pupils do not achieve well enough. The school should ensure that assessment accurately identifies pupils' starting points and that staff have the right knowledge and expertise to adapt teaching across the curriculum to meet pupils' needs.
• Too many pupils have high levels of persistent absence. Some pupils' punctuality is not strong. Subsequently, these pupils miss valuable learning and wider opportunities that the school provides. The school should further refine and strengthen their systems and processes for punctuality and attendance to ensure that pupils attend school regularly and on time.
• Staff have not received relevant training in developing their subject-specific and pedagogical knowledge. This limits teachers' capacity to adapt teaching effectively, address misconceptions adequately and to teach pupils what they need to learn. The school must ensure staff have appropriate training to deliver the improved ambitions of the curriculum consistently and securely.

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