St Michael's CofE (C) First School

Overview

This ungraded inspection confirms that St Michael’s CofE (VC) First School “continues to be a good school.” The report highlights a positive environment where pupils “enjoy coming to school and feel safe,” underpinned by strong values and high expectations. Leaders have established an “ambitious curriculum” that supports effective learning, particularly in reading and mathematics, while maintaining a calm and respectful atmosphere.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate excellent behaviour, with a clear understanding of expectations and rare instances of bullying.
• The curriculum is “well structured,” with teachers effectively checking learning and recapping prior knowledge to secure understanding.
• Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, enabling them to “learn alongside their peers.”
• Mathematics teaching is strong, with well-sequenced learning that helps pupils build knowledge logically and solve problems.
• Staff morale is high, with the “vast majority of staff” feeling positive about their workload and well-being.

Areas to improve

• Leaders must ensure books taken home for reading are “more closely matched to the sounds that pupils are learning” to support fluency.
• Assessment systems need to be “embedded in all subjects” so leaders can accurately track pupil progress in foundation subjects.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting a strong culture where staff are well trained to identify risks and secure timely help for pupils.