Ofsted conducted a short inspection of St Michael’s Church of England Primary School on 21 May 2019, following its previous judgment of good in February 2012. The inspection confirmed that the school continues to maintain a good quality of education. The leadership team has effectively managed significant changes in staffing and leadership since the school joined the Salisbury Plain Academies multi-academy trust in 2016. Since Ms. Nicky Phillips took over as headteacher in January 2017, she has established herself as a respected and dedicated leader, with staff expressing high levels of satisfaction regarding the support they receive.
The school relocated to a new building in September 2018, resulting in a doubling of pupil enrollment, which is expected to double again in September 2019. The leadership is focused on maintaining a family-like atmosphere as the school grows. A notable aspect of the school is that three-quarters of its pupils come from service families, leading to a dynamic student population with many joining and leaving at various times. The school has implemented strong arrangements to help new pupils settle quickly, fostering effective partnerships with parents.
Parental feedback is overwhelmingly positive, highlighting the effective leadership and supportive staff. Parents appreciate the nurturing and engaging learning environment created in the new building. The trustees and members of the Academy Advisory Board regularly visit the school to monitor its effectiveness, which contributes to the school’s ongoing success.
Pupils at St Michael’s are described as polite, sociable, and welcoming. They enjoy school, exhibit good behavior, and attend regularly, which enhances their learning experience. Pupils feel safe and supported, with staff readily available to address any concerns. The school has a robust safeguarding culture, with staff trained to recognize and respond to potential risks to pupils’ welfare. The headteacher ensures that safeguarding training is regularly updated, and appropriate referrals to external agencies are made when necessary.
The inspection focused on the school’s efforts to improve pupil progress in reading, mathematics, and English spelling, punctuation, and grammar at key stage two. Subject leaders have demonstrated a good understanding of the school’s priorities, leading to improvements in teaching quality. The mathematics leader has ensured comprehensive coverage of the curriculum, while the English leader has successfully enhanced reading and writing instruction. Assessment data indicates that most pupils in key stage two are making effective progress in reading and writing, although mathematics teaching requires further strengthening, particularly for younger pupils.
The inspection also assessed the sustainability of recent improvements in writing and mathematics at key stage one, where effective teaching has led to strong progress and achievement. The newly appointed SENCO is working to ensure that support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities is well-planned and effective. While pupils with SEND are attending school regularly and receiving focused additional teaching, some still face challenges in making academic progress, particularly those with complex needs.
The next steps for the school include improving mathematics instruction in lower key stage two to maximize pupil achievement and ensuring that additional academic support for pupils needing to catch up, especially those with SEND, consistently leads to positive outcomes. The inspection findings highlight the school’s strengths while identifying areas for continued development to enhance educational outcomes for all pupils.
