St Michael’s Primary judged ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted

St Michael’s Church of England Primary has been judged as ‘Outstanding’ by Ofsted.

Inspectors visited the school in Bamford last month and concluded that it is ‘outstanding’ and successfully promotes excellence and enjoyment in every area of its work.

Inspectors praised the excellent leadership which they said has created a harmonious learning environment where pupils feel secure and happy. Achievement and teaching were judged to be outstanding too, with pupils making excellent progress and reaching well above average standards. Ofsted acknowledged the positive feelings towards the school from parents, who said it is welcoming, provides a good blend of care, moral values and respect.

They were particularly impressed by the rich curriculum and all the extra activities, especially in sports and music.

Key Stage 1 pupils consistently reach significantly above average standards in reading, writing and mathematics. This excellent progress continues through Key Stage 2 says the report, and pupils often exceed their targets.

The school was also praised for its excellent provision for pupils with learning difficulties and/or disabilities which enables them to progress as well as their classmates. Inspectors noted that the school is quick to act on any slippage, for example, when fewer pupils reached the higher levels in writing in 2007, the school implemented rigorous actions that led to a dramatic increase in 2008.

Inspectors were impressed with the personal development available, and said that the spiritual, moral, social and cultural development results in mature, thoughtful and reliable pupils who participate enthusiastically in all activities. Excellent behaviour was said to contribute strongly to outstanding achievement.

The report recognised that the school constantly seeks ways to develop and improve provision for every pupil and that their highly skilled leadership team has an unswerving vision for continuous improvement.

It’s a double success for the school, after the Statutory Inspection of Anglican Schools which looks at religious education, ethos, worship and the distinctiveness of the school as a Church of England school also rewarded them with an ‘outstanding’ rating.

Headteacher Gillian Rhodes said everyone is delighted: “The governors, senior leaders, staff and pupils, in fact the whole school family are absolutely delighted and very, very proud of the findings of both the Ofsted Inspection and the SIAS Inspection. We have a superb team of dedicated, excellent teachers and their commitment to the children has been rightly recognised. However we will continue to set ourselves ambitious goals. The reports contain areas for further development which build on our strengths and success and which are already part of our plans.”

This September the school is set to build on their success when they open a nursery for 3-4 year olds.

Irene Davidson, Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families at Rochdale Council said she was impressed by the dedication and commitment shown at St Michael’s to ensure children receive the highest quality of education: “I am delighted with the findings of the Ofsted inspection report. It is a fitting testament to the way staff and pupils contribute to the day to day running of an outstanding school.”