Ofsted praises outstanding leadership at Linden Bridge

Staff and students at Linden Bridge School are celebrating after Ofsted inspectors judged crucial aspects of their provision as good and outstanding.

Inspectors previously visited the school in January 2024, where they judged Linden Bridge to be “good” with “outstanding” personal development. They praised the school as a place where “pupils learn important skills which ensure that they are exceptionally well prepared for leading as independent a life as possible in the future.”

Linden Bridge is a special school for children and young people aged four to 19 with complex social communications needs. The school also provides effective specialist education and support to pupils with autism and to their families, enabling pupils to achieve their full potential in education and life. The school is part of The Howard Partnership Trust, a values-driven partnership of schools that is committed to delivering life-changing education.

The school also provides residential accommodation for up to 32 children. During its recent visit, Ofsted confirmed that this aspect of Linden Bridge’s work matches the high quality of the wider school.

Inspectors praised the residential provision for:

Providing a positive atmosphere that children greatly enjoy – young people reported that “staying in residence has enabled them to make friends, have fun and build their independence skills.”
Attentive and knowledgeable staff – who have a “thorough understanding of [the children’s] individual needs” and “provide highly individualised support in accordance with a tailored plan for each child.”
Encouraging children to participate – school leaders and managers “obtain and consider children’s views in relation to their time in residence well.”
Providing a safe, secure and relaxed environment – where children “enjoy positive relationships with one another. Parents have strong confidence that the staff support their children’s safety and well-being at the school.”
Good behaviour management – the report notes that staff “have a good awareness of potential triggers and are confident in de-escalation interventions.”
Outstanding leadership and management – inspectors praise the “qualified, experienced and well-respected residential manger” who “leads the staff team diligently” and is “supported extremely well by dynamic school leaders.”
Strong relationships with parents - who all provided “unanimously positive feedback about the quality of care, high levels of communication and the positive impact the residence has on children’s lives.”

Claire Gungah, Principal of Linden Bridge School said, “In the last two years, Ofsted has visited the school three times to inspect various aspects of our provision. On each occasion they have found us to be a nurturing environment where staff work hard to deliver high-quality and tailored support to the young people in our care. We are proud that inspectors consistently recognise that Linden Bridge is a place where young people learn important skills that will enable them to lead as independent a life as possible in the future.”

When Ofsted inspectors conducted a full inspection of the school in February 2024, they found that:

The school was going from strength to strength thanks to a carefully designed curriculum, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics
Staff value parents’ and carers’ views, which are used to help shape targets and support for each pupil
The school provides an extensive and ambitious range of events and activities such as sporting events, residential trips and visits to local shops and cafes
Most pupils achieve nationally accredited qualifications in reading, writing and mathematics by the time they leave the school

Read the full report: https://www.lindenbridge.org/docs/ofsted-letters/Linden_bridge_school_Residential_full_10331401_Final_May_2025.pdf