The Bridge School, Ipswich
The Bridge School is a special school for pupils aged 4 to 19 in Ipswich, part of Unity Schools Partnership. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2023.
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Bridge School in detail
The Bridge School in its own words
In its own words: "Our mission is to help pupils thrive, to achieve the very best they can and to be happy. Our pupils are challenged via a personalised curriculum to achieve their full potential socially, academically, emotionally and vocationally."
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to The Bridge School, we are a specialist provision catering for children from 4-16 with severe learning difficulties, in Ipswich, part of Unity Schools Partnership. I am incredibly proud to be the Headteacher of such as a diverse and inclusive school, recently rated ‘Good’ in all areas by Ofsted."
Coming up: an open evening on Wednesday 25 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Suffolk
Vision and values (school website)Headteacher's welcome (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other special schools to The Bridge School are Stone Lodge Academy (1.2 miles, Good); Redstone Hall School (2.5 miles); Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy (3.1 miles, Good); and Woodbridge Road Academy (3.2 miles).
Stone Lodge AcademyRedstone Hall SchoolThomas Wolsey Ormiston AcademyWoodbridge Road Academy
The trust
The Bridge School is one of 40 schools run by Unity Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
Where pupils go next
Of the 8 pupils who finished Year 11 in 2023/24, 100% stayed in education or training for at least two terms, including 13% to a further education college.
Who goes there
44.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 18.7% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
Almost every pupil at The Bridge School has an education, health and care plan (257 of 257 in 2026). The most common need among them is a severe learning difficulty.
The Bridge School has a SEN unit for visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ipswich Rail Station, about 1.8 miles away in a straight line.
13 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ward Road (opp 21), 130 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 73 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Bridge School issued 1 suspension, 0.5 for every 100 pupils, and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE destination measures; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its June 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
About
The Bridge School is a coeducational special school located in Ipswich in the English county of Suffolk.
From Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
At a Glance
44.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
Yes
Sixth Form
SEN unit: Vision, Hearing, Speech and language +4
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby schools
Latest from The Bridge School
Harvest Festival Church Service
25 Sep 2026
Summer Holidays
17 Jul 2026
Transition Week
14 Jul 2026
Sports and Awards Day Take 2
3 Jul 2026
Supporting SEND Families in Suffolk
23 Jun 2026
PD Day - Friday 26th June 2026
23 Jun 2026
From The Bridge School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with The Bridge School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Bridge School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Bridge School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 20
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 14 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
94%
Near capacity
257 pupils
273 places
16 spare places
as recorded on GIAS
Area Demand Pressure - Ipswich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ipswich
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,475
Applications
7,204
Got 1st preference
92.7%
Got preferred school
97.7%
All secondary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
0
SEN Support
257
EHC Plans
100.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Bridge School has a SEN unit for visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
257
Total Pupils
188
Boys
69
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
35
Teachers
7.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,320
Mean salary
2026 data
Pupil Absence2024/25
8.3%
Overall absence
22.1%
Persistent absence
204
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Feeder Primary Schools
Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity
The Bridge School
Questions parents ask about The Bridge School
What are SATs results like at The Bridge School?
Of the pupils at The Bridge School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 0% reached the expected standard in reading and 0% did so in maths.
What is The Bridge School's Ofsted rating?
The Bridge School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2018 it was rated Inadequate.
What is the catchment area for The Bridge School?
No fixed boundary. When The Bridge School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to The Bridge School?
The Bridge School has around 257 pupils on roll. 45% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Bridge School have specialist SEN provision?
The Bridge School has a SEN unit for visual impairment, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, physical disability, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 20 places, 20 pupils on roll.
What is attendance like at The Bridge School?
8.3% of sessions were missed at The Bridge School in 2024/25. 22.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Bridge School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming The Bridge School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near The Bridge School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 5 serious and 14 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 3 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Bridge School?
The Bridge School is at Sprites Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3ND.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)