St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington

Inspection of St Michael’s Church of England Primary School, Alkrington Boardman Fold Road, Alkrington, Manchester M24 1GD

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Requires improvement 8 and 9 October 2024

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils settle in quickly and feel happy at this school. They told inspectors that they enjoy spending time with their friends and with their teachers each day. Pupils know that caring staff support them academically and socially, and that they are there to help if needed.

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What is it like to attend this school?

The school has high expectations for pupils’ achievement, including for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Typically, most pupils achieve well across a range of subjects. They speak confidently about what they have learned.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils have positive attitudes towards their education. They behave well during lessons, which are calm and purposeful. This positive behaviour extends across the school, including at social times. Pupils try hard to meet staff’s expectations and to follow the school’s values, which include responsibility, thankfulness and respect.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a variety of trips, visits and experiences that enhance their learning of the school’s curriculum. For example, they visit a local fire station and various museums. Pupils benefit from residential trips where they can partake in outdoor and team-building activities. The school provides pupils with a range of clubs, including in art, culture, music, sports, gardening, baking and well-being.

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

The school has focused on developing a broad and balanced curriculum. It has determined the important knowledge that pupils should learn and the order that teachers should introduce it. This enables pupils to learn well. Children in the early years are well prepared for their next steps in learning.

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

Overall, teachers choose suitable learning activities. They explain new curriculum content well. The school has provided appropriate training that has helped staff to further develop their subject knowledge. However, from time to time, staff do not deliver the curriculum consistently well. For example, occasionally, they do not adapt learning activities sufficiently enough to support pupils to learn as well as they should.

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

Staff generally use a range of strategies effectively to check how pupils are progressing through the curriculum. They use this information to adapt future learning and to give more time for pupils to practise where required. Nevertheless, staff do not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils’ prior knowledge, particularly where subject curriculums have been recently improved. This makes it difficult for some pupils to connect new learning to concepts that they should already know.

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

The school identifies pupils with SEND quickly. Staff make suitable adaptations during lessons, which enable these pupils to follow the same curriculum as their peers. Pupils with SEND are included in all aspects of school life.

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

The school has prioritised reading, for example by choosing high-quality books for each year group. This begins in the early years, where a variety of stories ignite children’s 8 and 9 October 2024

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interest in learning. The school has links with the local library, and staff take children to visit so that they can become members. Pupils read widely and often.

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Children begin to learn phonics from the beginning of the Reception Year. Staff who teach early reading have had suitable training to help them to implement the phonics programme with fidelity. Pupils read from books that contain the sounds that they already know. Staff generally provide effective support for pupils who find reading difficult.

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Pupils are polite and well mannered. Children in the early years learn to share and to take turns. Pupils have high levels of attendance. They understand why it is important to attend school. For a small number of pupils, the school works with external agencies and families to support these pupils in attending school more regularly.

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The school provides well for pupils’ personal development. Visitors to the school help pupils to learn how to be safe and healthy, including how to protect their mental health. Pupils learn about responsibility in their roles as ‘playtime pals’, house captains, worship leaders and members of the ‘garden gang’. They raise money for charities, and they collect food for those who are less fortunate. School councillors explained to inspectors that their roles help to improve pupils’ experiences at school.

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Staff value being able to work as part of a team. They appreciate the school’s consideration for their work-life balance, for example by providing additional time to help staff to fulfil their roles successfully.

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The governing body brings the required knowledge and skills to its role of supporting and challenging the school. While it is committed to continual improvement, the strategic oversight that governors have over some areas of the school’s work is not thorough enough. The school also lacks detailed enough information in some aspects of its work, such as the impact of its strategies over time to support different groups of pupils.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 In some subjects, where the school has recently refined subject curriculums, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge that have not been addressed. This means that pupils find it difficult to build and connect new concepts and ideas to their prior learning. The school should support staff in using assessment strategies in these subjects to identify and remedy gaps in pupils’ subject knowledge, so that they know and remember more.  At times, there is some variability in how well staff implement the curriculum. This hinders some pupils from learning as well as they could. The school should ensure that 8 and 9 October 2024

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staff deliver the curriculum consistently well and adapt activities when needed, so that pupils learn as effectively as they should.  The strategic oversight of some aspects of the school’s work lacks precision. This means that the school does not provide the governing body with all the information that it needs to hold the school fully to account for its work. The school and the governing body should make sure that they maintain thorough oversight across all aspects of the provision, to aid continual improvement.

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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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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, ‘disadvantaged pupils’ is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school’s pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 8 and 9 October 2024

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Website www.stmichaelscemidd.rochdale.sch.uk

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 24 and 25 November 2021, under section 5 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 Since the previous inspection, a new chair of governors has been appointed.  The school does not make use of alternative provision for pupils.  The school provides a before- and after-school club for pupils.  This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Manchester. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in April 2024. The school’s next section 48 inspection should take place before April 2029.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024 will not be given an overall effectiveness grade. 8 and 9 October 2024

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 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision.  Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  Inspectors met with the headteacher and other leaders of the school. The lead inspector met with governors, including the chair of governors. He also spoke with representatives of the local authority and of the diocese.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. In each deep dive, inspectors discussed the curriculum with subject leaders and visited a sample of lessons. They spoke with teachers and with some pupils about their learning. Inspectors looked at samples of pupils’ work. They also considered the curriculum in some other subjects.  The lead inspector observed some pupils from Years 1 to 3 read to a familiar adult. He

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discussed reading with a group of older pupils.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and around school, including at playtime, at breakfast club and during lunchtime. They spoke with several groups of pupils about their experiences at school and considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for pupils.  Inspectors spoke with staff about their workload and well-being. They considered the responses to Ofsted’s online survey for staff.  Inspectors took account of the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments. An inspector met with some parents at the start of the school day.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspectors reviewed the single central record and took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils. They considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.

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 Inspectors reviewed a range of documentation, including the school’s self-evaluation documents, improvement plans, minutes of governing body meetings and documents pertaining to pupils’ behaviour and levels of attendance.

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Inspection team

David Lobodzinski, lead inspector Ofsted Inspector

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Inspection team

Nicky Parkinson Ofsted Inspector 8 and 9 October 2024

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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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