St Michael's School

Overview: St Michael's School is a Catholic independent school for pupils aged four to 18, providing a broad, balanced, and enriched curriculum. The school fosters a love of learning, with pupils developing an impressive commitment to hard work and a determination to do well. Pupils behave exceptionally well, and the school provides a safe and supportive environment.

Strengths:

• The school's religious ethos is central to its work, guiding everything it does.
• Pupils develop an impressive commitment to hard work and a determination to do well.
• Pupils behave exceptionally well, with consistently high attendance rates reflecting their positive attitudes to school.
• The school provides a broad, balanced, and enriched curriculum, with a wide range of activities, including trips and visitors.
• The school's extensive and attractive grounds provide pupils with plenty of opportunities for healthy exercise and fresh air.

Areas to improve:

• The quality of support for pupils with SEND is variable, with some staff lacking the subject knowledge and expertise needed to support pupils' needs effectively.
• School development plans do not identify the key priorities for improvement sharply enough, meaning that leaders and staff are not always as clear as they could be about where they should focus improvement work.
• The curriculum, and the associated tasks set in lessons, are not adapted well enough for pupils with SEND.

Safeguarding: The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.