Bridstow CofE Primary School

Overview

Bridstow CofE Primary School is described as a “welcoming and caring school” where pupils “love going to school” and feel safe. The report states that the overall effectiveness is “Good,” with leaders having established an “inclusive, caring culture” in which staff feel valued and pupils flourish.

Strengths

• Pupils display “positive attitudes,” are “kind, helpful and thoughtful of one another,” and bullying is reported as rare.
• The early years provision is strong, with children getting a “flying start” in a “safe, stimulating environment” that encourages independence.
• Reading is a high priority; staff use a “well-considered approach” to phonics, ensuring most pupils become “fluent readers before they enter key stage 2.”
• Mathematics teaching is praised for its “well-planned and sequenced curriculum,” helping pupils become “skilled, confident mathematicians.”
• Leaders provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), ensuring they “learn well.”

Areas to improve

• In some subjects, such as history, learning is “not as well sequenced,” meaning pupils “struggle to remember some of what they learn.”
• Leaders have not ensured pupils experience a “wide range of quality texts,” so they “do not read widely enough.”
• Pupils have “limited opportunities to develop fluency and stamina in their written work,” resulting in book work that is “variable and sometimes untidy.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” with rigorous recruitment checks and staff who act “promptly and decisively to keep them safe.”