St Michael's Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 March 2026

Pupils love the small size of their school and build positive relationships across year groups. For example, children in the Reception year often choose to sit with older friends during calm and happy lunchtimes in the dining hall. Pupils feel their school is a special place. They appreciate features such as the field beyond the playground, where they take part in sports day. The well-used school boot rack shows how often pupils pull on their boots to explore and play. Across the school, including in the early years, pupils benefit from the improvements leaders have made to the wider curriculum. Older pupils can explain the approaches that help them learn well. They describe contributing to subject floor books and adding key knowledge to their ‘memory jars’. Staff understand pupils’ needs well and this enables all groups to make secure progress through the curriculum. Pupils understand and live the school values of collaboration, challenge and community. With the current focus on challenge, older pupils talk confidently about pushing themselves in their learning. Pupils feel listened to. Their class councils give them real influence, including securing the new art hut in the playground. They also value chances to contribute to the wider community, such as performing in the local church and taking part in the annual Maypole dance. Special events, including the residential visit for older pupils, help them develop independence and a sense of belonging. Pupils feel safe and well cared for. They say staff listen and support them when needed. They appreciate the varied offer of clubs, with popular options including football, drama and Makaton. Bullying and serious behavioural issues are rare and pupils trust staff to act if concerns arise. Leaders know attendance has been lower than national figures in recent years and are taking appropriate action to address this.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue to prioritise pupils’ attendance and strengthen their strategies, including thorough analysis of patterns and trends, to improve attendance and reduce persistent absence.
• Leaders should ensure that handwriting is taught consistently well across all year groups and that staff provide pupils with feedback that helps them correct errors in their work, including spelling and letter formation, so that mistakes do not persist.
• Leaders should strengthen their approach to monitoring the curriculum so that all subject curriculums are checked with equal rigour and leaders have an astute understanding of the quality of provision across all subjects.

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