St Michael's CofE (C) First School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 January 2023

Pupils enjoy coming to school and feel safe. The school's values of 'forgiveness, friendship, thankfulness, respect, resilience and responsibility' feed through the school and the curriculum. Pupils know and understand these values, with one pupil commenting, 'We think about our values in everything we do.' Pupils behave well in lessons and around school. They have a clear understanding of the school's behaviour systems. There is no difference between how they behave in class, around school and at playtimes and lunchtimes. Pupils value the chance to take on additional responsibilities such as being committee representatives and carrying out tasks around school. Pupils are aware of the different types of bullying and know what to do if they have any concerns. Bullying is rare and is dealt with quickly if it happens. The school has close links with the local community. Pupils have many opportunities to learn, both in the school grounds and the local area. Pupils enjoy the regular 'wow' days which help to bring the curriculum to life. Leaders share information with parents to support their child's learning at home. Leaders and staff expect all pupils to do their best, and pupils live up to these expectations. Pupils achieve well.

What the school should improve

• On occasion, the books that some pupils take home to read are not well matched to the sounds they are learning. This hinders some pupils' reading confidence and fluency. Leaders should ensure that the books pupils read at home are more closely matched to the sounds that pupils are learning.
• Leaders do not have robust assessment systems in place for foundation subjects. This means that subject leaders do not always know how well pupils learn the curriculum. Leaders should ensure that the systems for assessment become embedded in all subjects.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)