St Michael's CofE Primary School

Inspection of a good school: St Michael’s Church of England Primary School Brigadier Hill, Enfield EN2 0NB

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Inspection dates: 18 and 19 January 2022

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Outcome

St Michael’s Church of England Primary School continues to be a good school.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending this friendly, caring and welcoming school. They describe their teachers as kind and helpful. Staff and pupils treat each other with respect. Staff help pupils to follow the school’s motto, ‘Seek Joy in Service’. The school is a happy and safe place. Pupils and staff describe the school as ‘like a family’.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Leaders have high expectations for all pupils. They aim to develop leadership qualities in all pupils. Leaders provide a broad curriculum that is well thought through, so pupils achieve well. Pupils can select their own level of challenge in the work and research topics that interest them. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are keen to try their best. They move calmly and quietly around the school. Children in the Reception class play well together. Pupils behave well. Any incidents of misbehaviour are sorted out by staff. Should any bullying occur, pupils are confident that adults will take appropriate action.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils love playing and exploring in the school’s outdoor play areas and taking part in many lunchtime and after-school clubs. Pupils benefit from visits to broaden their knowledge, for example to a Celtic village and a Second World War experience.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Leaders have designed a curriculum that is tailored to meet the needs of pupils at the school. It helps pupils to develop academically, personally and socially. Leaders provide a wide range of experiences that enrich the curriculum both in classrooms and more broadly in the community. The curriculum is well sequenced. This begins in early years. The curriculum sets out what children should know and do each term in the Nursery and Reception Years. The activities that teachers provide are well designed. They help children to learn more over time. 18 and 19 January 2022

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In most subjects, the curriculum sets out the most important things that pupils need to know and remember. The mathematics curriculum, for example, has been planned well. Pupils know what they are learning, and lessons build on what they have learned previously. Staff have been well trained. Teachers plan regular opportunities to check pupils’ understanding of key knowledge. Pupils enjoy recalling and practising what they have been taught. However, in a small number of subjects, including history and computing, checks on what pupils have learned are not as well planned. The checks focus too much on the skills pupils should develop. This makes it difficult for teachers to make sure that they build on what has been learned previously.

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Phonics teaching is well organised. Leaders have set out which sounds pupils will learn each week. Pupils who are not keeping up with the expected standard are quickly identified and receive extra help. Pupils gain confidence through practising reading every day. Teachers make phonics lessons fun. Leaders are aware that since the pandemic, some pupils have fallen behind. Leaders have provided more help for these pupils to practise their sounds and reading. Further investment is planned to improve online resources to support parents and carers and pupils at home.

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The reading curriculum is set out in a logical order. Pupils experience a wide range of authors and genres. They learn different ways to read and find information. They read widely and often. Teachers read to pupils regularly. Pupils enjoy this and it is helping to deepen their understanding of vocabulary.

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Leaders make sure that pupils with SEND get the help they need. Leaders check regularly to ensure that the support these pupils get is effective. Leaders have an accurate view of their school. They know what is working well and what needs to improve further. They have built a united team that is ambitious for pupils to do well. Adults know pupils well. Relationships are consistently positive. Disruption in classrooms is rare, which ensures that pupils can concentrate on their learning.

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Governors are ambitious for pupils. They have strengthened the way that they hold leaders to account. They provide effective challenge and support. To maintain this position, they are strengthening their understanding of subjects other than English and mathematics.

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The majority of parents hold the school in high esteem. They are positive about what leaders did to maintain learning and to support families during the pandemic. One parent told the inspector: ‘This is a fantastic and supportive school – especially in recent difficult times.’ This comment was typical of parents’ views.

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Leaders, including those responsible for governance, work hard to promote the well-being of staff. They consider the challenges that teachers face and endeavour to provide them with time to complete additional leadership tasks. As a result, staff are happy in their roles and want to help leaders to further improve the school.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective. 18 and 19 January 2022

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Leaders have ensured that the school’s procedures reflect the very latest guidance on how to keep children safe. The necessary policies are in place. Staff have received appropriate training and know that safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. Adults are alert to signs that a pupil might need help, and they report any concerns promptly. Leaders work well with external agencies to support families when needed.

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Pupils learn how to keep themselves safe through the curriculum and school assemblies. For example, they are shown how to keep themselves safe when working online as part of the computing curriculum.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Curriculum thinking in a few subjects does not set out well enough the essential knowledge that leaders expect pupils to know and remember. This is a barrier to pupils knowing more and remembering more. Leaders should support recently appointed subject leaders to develop curriculums that clearly set out the knowledge and vocabulary that pupils are expected to learn and the ways in which teachers should check that this knowledge has been remembered.

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Background

When we have judged a school to be good, we will then normally go into the school about once every four years to confirm that the school remains good. This is called a section 8 inspection of a good or outstanding school, because it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on a section 8 inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school would now receive a higher or lower grade, then the next inspection will be a section 5 inspection. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the section 8 inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the section 8 inspection a section 5 inspection immediately.

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Background

This is the second section 8 inspection since we judged the school to be good in May 2012.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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How can I feed back my views?

If you are the school and you are not happy with the inspection or the report, you can complain to Ofsted . 18 and 19 January 2022

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ refers to those pupils who attract government pupil premium funding: pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years and pupils in care or who left care through adoption or another formal route. 18 and 19 January 2022

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Chair of governing body Juliette Doggett

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Date of previous inspection

31 January 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not use alternative provision.  Since the previous inspection, the leadership of the school has changed. New deputy and assistant headteachers have been appointed.

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Information about this inspection

This was the first routine inspection the school had received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders, and has taken that into account in his evaluation.

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Information about this inspection

 The inspector met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher and assistant headteacher. The inspector also met with the special educational needs coordinator and carried out joint lesson visits. A meeting was held with the chair of governors and members of the governing body and representatives of the diocese and the local authority respectively.  The inspector carried out deep dives in these subjects: reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, the inspector met with subject leaders, looked at 18 and 19 January 2022

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curriculum plans, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers and pupils and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector also looked at curriculum plans and spoke to leaders about other subjects, including computing and science.  The inspector listened to pupils read to a familiar adult and visited reading and phonics lessons.  The inspector spoke to members of the safeguarding team and considered documentation about safeguarding.  The inspector considered responses from staff, pupils and parents to the Ofsted online questionnaires.

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Inspection team

Phil Garnham, lead inspector Her Majesty’s Inspector 18 and 19 January 2022

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regulates and inspects to achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children’s social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children’s services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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