St Michael's CofE (C) Primary School

Inspection of a school judged good for overall effectiveness before September 2024: St Michael's CofE (C) Primary School Cherry Orchard, Lichfield WS14 9AN

p.1

Inspection dates: 28 and 29 January 2025

p.1

Outcome

St Michael's CofE (C) Primary School has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at the previous inspection.

p.1

Outcome

The executive headteacher of this school is Eleanor Ballinger. This school is part of The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership, which means other people in the trust also have responsibility for running the school. The trust is run by the chief executive officer, Richard Gill, and overseen by a board of trustees, chaired by John Vickers.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils at St Michael’s arrive at school happily each day. They have warm relationships with staff and each other. Pupils attend regularly because they feel safe here and know they belong. The whole school community is united in having high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils are excited by their learning and want to work hard. They achieve well and are proud of their work.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well around the school. They are respectful and well-mannered. Pupils care for each other and know that if bullying were to happen here it would be dealt with quickly by adults.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils enjoy attending clubs that develop their interests including drama, gardening and netball. Music is highly valued and many pupils learn to play instruments. Pupils’ learning is enriched with trips to zoos, places of worship and the seaside. These visits help learning come to life. Older pupils can attend several residential trips including ones based on the arts, outdoor activities or a visit to France.

p.1

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils learn to be well-rounded and responsible members of the local community by collecting for the foodbank or by regularly visiting members of the nearby dementia café. The school brings out the best in pupils and enables them to thrive. 28 and 29 January 2025

p.1

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

The school’s improvement journey has gained momentum since the appointment of the new leadership team. Leaders have a clear vision and accurate understanding of what is already working well and what could be even better. Staff work as a cohesive and happy team to ensure pupils reach their full potential. Parents and carers, pupils and staff recognise the positive changes at the school recently.

p.2

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

The school has developed an ambitious and carefully considered curriculum that ensures that the pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), learn and achieve well. Children in Reception get off to a flying start. Here, staff focus on ensuring children have a secure understanding in basic skills so they can build on this knowledge through the school. The youngest children learn from carefully selected texts and find out about cultural experiences such as Chinese New Year. However, the intended learning outcomes for some independent activities in early years are not always clear. This means children could sometimes gain little new knowledge from some of these activities.

p.2

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

Across the school, teachers have strong knowledge of the subjects they teach and they present information clearly. For example, in geography teachers ensure pupils understand the concept of global trade by using examples of how we buy familiar products and services. Activities are engaging, such as when pupils use anemometers to collect and analyse measurements of local wind speeds. Staff check what pupils know through effective questioning and from the work on pupils’ tablets. This enables teachers to identify misconceptions accurately and provide clear, direct feedback to pupils.

p.2

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

Staff have received effective training in how to support pupils with SEND. As a result, adults understand the needs of these pupils and can adapt the activities when needed so pupils with SEND achieve well. Most pupils are interested and engaged in their learning. However, there are some occasions when staff’s expectations for pupils’ engagement in learning are not as high as the school would like. Not all staff insist that pupils join in, focus on their work and are ready to learn consistently.

p.2

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

The school has prioritised reading and provides opportunities for parents to be more included with helping their child to read. Children learn phonics from the start of their reception year. Well-trained staff make careful checks on which sounds pupils know and help them catch up if needed. The school ensures that books are closely matched to the phonics sounds pupils are learning

p.2

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

All pupils benefit from a wealth of enriching opportunities to broaden their experiences. As a result, pupils are well prepared for life beyond the school. The school develops pupils’ character, confidence and resilience. Pupils have well-considered opportunities to develop leadership skills through different roles and responsibilities. Pupils have an age- appropriate understanding of healthy relationships and know how to keep themselves physically and mentally healthy. Pupils engage with the wider community through visits, for example, to different places of worship. As a result, pupils value difference and have a 28 and 29 January 2025

p.2

3

strong understanding of diversity and equality. They feel confident that at this school everyone is treated equally.

p.3

3

Trustees check that leaders are taking the right action at the right time to ensure there are sustained positive outcomes and continued improvement. The trust team provides highly effective support, care and training for staff at all levels. Staff feel well supported by skilled leaders who take account of their workload and well-being. The staff team say they feel like a family and are proud to work here.

p.3

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

p.3

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 Some staff do not have high enough expectations of pupils learning behaviours and do not ensure that all pupils are ready to learn and take full part in the lesson. As a result, some pupils become disengaged, and staff miss opportunities to develop their learning further. The school should ensure that all staff have consistently high expectations of pupils’ behaviour for learning so that all pupils engage well and learn as well as they can.  Planned activities in continuous provision in the early years are not always clearly connected to the intended learning. As a result, staff are not always clear what children should be gaining from these activities, and children do not gain as much knowledge as they could. The school should ensure that intended learning for each activity is identified and communicated to all staff so that they can ensure children are engaged in meaningful learning throughout the early years setting.

p.3

Background

Until September 2024, on a graded (section 5) inspection we gave schools an overall effectiveness grade, in addition to the key and provision judgements. Overall effectiveness grades given before September 2024 will continue to be visible on school inspection reports and on Ofsted's website. From September 2024 graded inspections will not include an overall effectiveness grade. This school was, before September 2024, judged good for its overall effectiveness.

p.3

Background

We have now inspected the school to determine whether it has taken effective action to maintain the standards identified at that previous inspection. This is called an ungraded inspection, and it is carried out under section 8 of the Education Act 2005. We do not give graded judgements on an ungraded inspection. However, if we find evidence that a school's work has improved significantly or that it may not be as strong as it was at the 28 and 29 January 2025

p.3

4

last inspection, then the next inspection will be a graded inspection. A graded inspection is carried out under section 5 of the Act. Usually this is within one to two years of the date of the ungraded inspection. If we have serious concerns about safeguarding, behaviour or the quality of education, we will deem the ungraded inspection a graded inspection immediately.

p.4

4

This is the second ungraded inspection since we judged the predecessor school, St Michael's CofE (C) Primary School to be good for overall effectiveness in September 2012.

p.4

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.

p.4

How can I feed back my views?

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

p.4

Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

p.4

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). 28 and 29 January 2025

p.4

School details

Website www.st-michaels-lichfield.staffs.sch.uk

p.5

School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 September 2017, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

p.5

Information about this school

 St Michael’s CofE Primary School converted to become an academy school in February 2022.  The school does not currently make use of any alternative provision.  A new executive headteacher was appointed in September 2024. The deputy headteacher took up her new post at the same time.  This Church of England school is in the Diocese of Lichfield. The school’s last section 48 inspection, for schools of a religious character, was in March 2020.

p.5

Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 28 and 29 January 2025

p.5

6

 This was the first routine inspection the school received since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The inspector discussed the impact of the pandemic with leaders and has taken that into account in the evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, the inspector reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  The inspector held meetings with the executive headteacher, the deputy headteacher, assistant headteachers, curriculum leaders and the special educational needs coordinator.  The inspector met with the trust CEO and Director of Education and met remotely with a trustee and an advocate. The inspector also spoke with an external school improvement partner and a representative of the diocese.

p.6

6

 The inspector visited a sample of lessons, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  The inspector observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. She also spoke with pupils about their experiences of school.  The inspector examined a range of school documentation, including leaders’ self- evaluation, improvement plans, records of governance, and documentation relating to attendance and pupils’ behaviour.  The inspector considered the responses to the online survey, Ofsted Parent View. She also considered the responses to Ofsted’s survey for staff.

p.6

Inspection team

Corinne Biddell, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector 28 and 29 January 2025

p.6

7

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.

p.7

7

If you would like a copy of this document in a different format, such as large print or Braille, please telephone 0300 123 1231, or email enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk .

p.7

7

You may reuse this information (not including logos) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open- government-licence/ , write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gsi.gov.uk .

p.7

7

Interested in our work? You can subscribe to our monthly newsletter for more information and updates: http://eepurl.com/iTrDn .

p.7

7

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

p.7