The Bridge Academy receives excellent Ofsted outcome

Ofsted visited The Bridge Academy in February 2023 to carry out its routine inspection since the Academy was last judged to be ‘Good’ in January 2013. We are incredibly proud to reveal we have yet again been rated as ‘Good’ and received a glowing write-up which reflects the many positive aspects of life at our thriving Academy.  

The Ofsted report highlights the great sense of pride in all that we achieve at Bridge, both individually and as a community. 

Our Principal, Chris Brown says: “Staff and students were exceptional throughout the inspection, fully demonstrating our values of hard work, integrity and kindness. It was fantastic to see how proud students are of the Academy, and it is extremely pleasing that this is reflected so fulsomely in the report. I would also like to thank parents and carers for their support both during the inspection and throughout my time at Bridge. We never stop trying to get better and are already working on our next steps to ensure that we provide a truly world-class education for Hackney children.” 

Nick Wright, Chair of The Board of Trustees said: “The recent Ofsted report on The Bridge Academy rightly acknowledges and highlights our rigorous, inclusive, safe, and enriching culture, curriculum, and achievements. We are as proud of our students as they are of their school, and I would like to take this opportunity to thank staff, parents, indeed all those who work to deliver the best possible outcomes for our students. Our wide-ranging and rich programme of learning is without doubt transforming the lives of our students and providing them with the promised “bridge to their future”. We will not rest but rather take encouragement from the Ofsted report not just to reflect with pride on what we are achieving but to push onwards to further and higher accomplishments.” 

The values that underpin everything we do at Bridge were acknowledged and praised as playing a key role in their culture: “Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. They ensure that their guiding principles of kindness, hard work and integrity are central to the school’s culture” 

The report also commended our commitment to safeguarding: “Leaders have developed a calm and orderly environment where pupils are safe. Incidents of bullying and the use of discriminatory language are extremely rare. Leaders address these effectively when they occur. Pupils have positive attitudes towards their learning in lessons. Low-level disruption is extremely rare.” 

Additionally, the report recognised the Academy’s passion for delivering and developing a “curriculum that meets, and in places exceeds, the scope of the national curriculum. Teachers have strong subject knowledge and deliver lessons with clarity” 

At Bridge, we know that for students to be successful academically and in the wider areas of their lives, they need to be given rich and sustained opportunities to develop their cultural capital. This was widely praised within the report also: “Leaders have developed a wide-ranging and rich personal development programme and all pupils up to Year 9 take part in a weekly enrichment programme. Pupils have access to a range of sports clubs, the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award and the ‘Brilliant’ club.” 

Everyone at the Academy is pleased that Ofsted were able to see many of the wonderful things taking place here on a daily basis; and all staff remain committed to ensuring our values, academic excellence and high standards retain their importance in the very fabric of everything we do. Our heartfelt thanks go out to all staff, students, families and the whole school community for the valuable role they play in making Bridge an incredible place to learn, thrive and excel, and an excellent school of choice for all.

View the full Ofsted report here