St Michael's Church of England First School

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms that St Michael’s Church of England First School has “taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.” The school is described as “friendly and welcoming,” where pupils are “safe, happy and well looked after” and demonstrate “positive and productive relationships with staff.”

Strengths

• Pupils exhibit high standards of behaviour, being “kind, helpful and polite” while following routines with care.
• Reading achievement is “strong,” supported by “effective phonics and reading sessions” and careful monitoring of progress.
• Fundamental skills in writing and mathematics are securely established from the Reception Year through structured teaching.
• Staff identify pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) quickly, ensuring they “learn the same curriculum as their peers.”
• Attendance has improved and is now “above the national average” due to proactive tracking and immediate action on absences.

Areas to improve

• In a few subjects, curriculum changes are “not fully embedded,” meaning assessment systems are still developing and lessons are “not consistently adjusted to address any arising gaps or misconceptions.”
• Pupils’ knowledge of “fundamental British values and a range of world religions is limited,” leaving them “not as well prepared for life in modern Britain as they could be.”

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective.”