St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 29 April 2025

Recent changes in governance have stabilised the leadership of the school. However, this arrangement is temporary and securing a permanent governing body is a priority for the school. The effect of this weakness is largely unnoticeable to pupils. Pupils are happy and proud of their school. At breaktimes they enjoy the many activities provided for them. Pupil play leaders kindly support younger children to play various games. Pupils are confident that staff will listen to them and help them sort out any issues they may have. The school has high expectations for pupils' behaviour. Pupils meet these by following the school rules. The school provides a calm nurture space, which runs every afternoon, for pupils to reflect and talk about their feelings. Recent improvements to the quality of education ensure pupils study a full range of subjects. Staff have high expectations for pupils' achievement. Pupils enjoy the activities teachers plan for them. Some say they would like to be given work that helps them think even harder about their learning. There are many opportunities for pupils to pursue their interests. These include taking part in clubs. For example, guitar, art and yoga. Pupils relish the leadership roles they have, for example, as librarians, school council members and reading champions.

What the school should improve

• Recent improvements to governance are beginning to take effect but remain at an early stage. Without sustained development, governance cannot provide the necessary strategic direction. Those responsible for governance should continue to build their capacity and form an effective governing body to challenge and support school leaders.
• The school does not know how well the intended curriculum is being implemented. Therefore, it does not know if the improvements made to the curriculum are having the necessary impact or meeting the needs of all pupils, so that they achieve as well as they could. The school should ensure that it has a clear oversight of how the curriculum is delivered and if the changes made are meeting the needs of all pupils across the school.
• Communication with staff and parents is not always clear or consistent. This leads to uncertainty about how parents can best support their children at home. Leaders should strengthen communication, so that families and staff are well informed about the school's work and priorities.

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