Devon school praised for ‘rekindling a love of learning’ after Ofsted visit

Heather Bridge School, in Dousland, near Plymouth
-Credit:Reach Publishing Services Limited


A Devon school which is 'rekindling a love of learning' has been praised by Ofsted in all areas in its first Ofsted report.

Heather Bridge School in Yelverton received a 'Good' rating across all key areas following its inspection, conducted from December 10 to 12, 2024. The independent special school, which caters to pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), was commended for its strong focus on re-engaging pupils with education and fostering a nurturing learning environment.

The Ofsted report highlights the school’s commitment to supporting students who have previously had disrupted education. "Pupils at Heather Bridge School have often had previous fragmented educational experiences or been out of school for periods of time. The school prioritises re-engaging pupils with education. The strong focus on relationships that the school has adopted results in pupils who feel safe and well cared for."

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The school's approach to personal development and emotional well-being was praised. "Staff demonstrate care, expertise and belief in pupils. This results in pupils growing in confidence and becoming more self-aware. Pupils form aspirations for their future pathways. These are supported well by the school’s ambition for them to be successful when they leave."

The curriculum at Heather Bridge School is designed to meet both academic and social-emotional needs. "Pupils learn a curriculum which is designed to become more demanding the longer they are at the school. Learning is designed to merge pupils’ strengths and interests with their education, health and care (EHC) plan outcomes. This sustains the focus on learning, which the school has re-kindled."

A unique aspect of the curriculum is its 'Enterprise Learning Project' approach. "The school adapts its curriculum to make it bespoke to its context. The foundations for this are provided by the ‘enterprise learning project’ way of working. These uniquely designed termly projects are supported effectively by ‘industry experts’. This supports staff’s own subject knowledge, helping pupils achieve high-quality endpoints referred to as ‘beautiful work’."

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However, the report identified areas where improvements are needed. "Teaching is not consistently adapted well enough to meet pupils’ academic learning needs. It does not fully support its academic offer to be as strong as the offer to meet pupils’ social and emotional needs. Consequently, pupils do not achieve as well as they could in some aspects of the curriculum."

Reading was noted as a key focus at the school. "Reading has been a focus of the school since opening. Carefully chosen texts are used to support reading for pleasure and the English curriculum. Visits to the local library are a regular part of school life. Pupils are happy to share book choices and talk about books they have read."

However, the school’s approach to teaching writing was identified as an area for improvement. "The school’s approach to teaching early writing is not fully effective. The curriculum does not sequence or identify clearly enough what pupils need to learn. As a result, some pupils do not have enough opportunities to develop their writing, including their handwriting. This hinders the quality of pupils’ writing and their ability to apply their skills across the curriculum."

Attendance has improved significantly due to targeted support and engagement with families. "The school has developed targeted support for pupils and close working with parents and carers. This has resulted in increased attendance for pupils who have previously been reluctant or too anxious to be in school regularly."

Staff at Heather Bridge School expressed pride in their work and the professional development opportunities available. "Staff are proud to work here. The proprietor body has prioritised staff’s professional development. Consequently, staff feel empowered and valued. They have a growing skill set which is used with increasing success as the school grows and establishes itself."

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Governance and leadership were also praised for ensuring compliance with independent school standards. "Careful monitoring by the proprietor body ensures that it provides the right level of challenge and support so that the school meets the independent school standards consistently. It also ensures that the school complies with Schedule 10 of the Equality Act 2010."

Safeguarding at the school was found to be effective, ensuring a safe and supportive environment for students.

Kasim Langmead, the headteacher, said: "We are so pleased that our strong focus on relationships - and the impact that this has on students' social and emotional wellbeing, engagement and progress - has been acknowledged.

“Our enterprise learning curriculum is designed to support students' learning and progress in the widest sense; that we are able to rekindle a love of learning whilst maintaining the highest of expectations, ambitions and aspirations for our students has been recognised. I am very proud of what our team has achieved in our first year and of the many successes which our students have accomplished so far."

Heather Bridge School, which is operated by Spaghetti Bridge Ltd, currently has 37 pupils enrolled, all of whom have an EHC plan. The school caters to students from ages 6 to 18 and aims to continue its development in providing high-quality education and care. The full Ofsted report is available on the Ofsted website for further details.