ST MICHAEL'S C OF E PRIMARY

Ofsted Reports

Date of Most Recent Inspection 

21st and 22nd September, 2021

Judgment 

Overall effectiveness - Requires improvement
The quality of education - Requires improvement
Behaviour and attitudes - Good
Personal development - Good
Leadership and management - Requires improvement
Early years provision - Requires improvement

Summary of Strengths 

  • Pupils enjoy attending this school. They are happy and feel safe.
  • Staff provide high quality care rooted in the school’s values of ‘community, aspiration, learning and love’.
  • Pupils behave well in school. They want to learn.
  • Bullying is rare in school.
  • Pupils trust the school’s adults to help them when they have problems or worries.
  • All staff want pupils to have the best possible education.
  • Leaders have recently made big changes to how the other subjects are taught - their plans are ambitious. 
  • The school’s staff form a united team, committed to seeing the school improve.
  • Pupils learn well in English and mathematics.
  • Staff, including those new to the school, have good expertise in teaching phonics.
  • Leaders have designed learning units that are based on the school’s values and that will be relevant to pupils.
  • Staff provide effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).
  • Pupils in all years behave well. They are kind to each other and respectful to adults.
  • Staff put great emphasis on pupils’ personal development.
  • BDMAT provides the school with effective support in several areas. BDMAT staff have successfully supported the school with the transition to new leadership.
  • The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. All staff know that keeping pupils safe is their top priority.

Summary of Development Points 

  • Embed the new curriculum - Leaders have put in place revised curriculum plans for all subjects in key stages 1 and 2, except English and mathematics. It is too soon to know if the revised curriculum is being taught well and whether pupils are knowing and remembering more as a result. Leaders should ensure that the revised curriculum is implemented effectively. 
  • Expand leadership capacity - The headteacher and deputy headteacher have taken on almost all responsibilities in the school. Governors and leaders have not yet prioritised the areas in which the school needs to improve.  Leaders should ensure that there is sufficient leadership capacity in the school to address these priorities.
  • Continue to improve Early Years Curriculum - Leaders, supported by BDMAT, should ensure that there is a strong curriculum in the early years so that children make the progress they need in order to be well prepared to start Year 1.