St Michael's Roman Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 January 2026

Pupils are extremely proud to attend this warm, welcoming school. Pupils' attendance rates reflect their eagerness to come to school. They are keen learners who enjoy being immersed in school life. Pupils develop a secure sense of belonging. They feel safe and happy because staff support and care for them well. Across the school, including in the early years, pupils are confident and charismatic. They are keen to share what they love about their school with visitors. Pupils listen politely and show kindness and respect towards others. Bullying is very rare, and pupils feel assured that adults would help them if needed. Pupils value their education. They show focus and resilience in lessons. Staff know pupils extremely well. With leaders’ support, teachers use approaches that help pupils to learn the interesting, relevant curriculum securely. As a result, pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged, are ready for their next stages. Pupils typically achieve well. This is reflected in the school's published outcomes in national tests. Pupils with SEND and those who face other barriers to learning often outperform their peers. Pupils, including those with complex needs, benefit from the wealth of provision that the school has put in place to help them to achieve well academically and in their wider lives. They are encouraged and supported to be active members of their community, for example by delivering Christmas cakes locally. Pupils take pride in holding leadership roles such as digital leaders, eco warriors and reading champions. Year 6 pupils can also be involved in the ‘gardeners and seeds’ buddy programme to act as role models for children in Reception. These opportunities build pupils’ sense of confidence, responsibility and character.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that the work that teachers set enables pupils to deepen and apply their learning in all subjects. • Leaders should ensure that the activities chosen to support the delivery of the curriculum in the early years continuous provision are well matched to children’s learning and development needs. • Leaders should further develop staff's expertise so that interactions across the early years provision are of a consistently high quality.

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