St Michael's VA Junior School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 21 February 2023

Pupils feel very happy and cared for at St Michael's. They are kept safe by staff and a dedicated pastoral team who know individual pupils well. Pupils are confident that they have a trusted adult to talk to if they need to. They experience very little bullying. If there is any unkind behaviour adults quickly intervene, and it stops. Pupils enjoy learning and value their lessons. They study a broad curriculum and talk confidently about the interesting topics that they learn about, such as rivers and map- reading. Pupils' pride in their learning comes through in the high-quality presentation of their book work. All pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), benefit from adults' high expectations of what they can achieve. Throughout the school, pupils behave well. They are respectful and polite to each other and to adults. Relationships between staff and pupils are very positive and this contributes to a warm school culture. During playtime, pupils are encouraged to be courageous and adventurous. They love to play in the well-designed playground. This includes different zones such as tepees to make dens in, a mud kitchen, swinging ropes, slides, an outdoor library and a wild area.

What the school should improve

• Teachers do not consistently ensure that pupils are given sufficient opportunities to learn and practise smaller component knowledge and skills before moving on to a new topic or assessment. This means that some pupils have gaps in their knowledge or understanding which are not identified and addressed quickly enough. Leaders need to ensure that, across all subjects, teachers give pupils sufficient opportunities to master the smaller curriculum components and check their understanding before moving on.

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