St Michael’s Catholic School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school The executive headteacher and governors have established a strong team of senior and middle leaders who have demonstrated their capacity to improve the school. The Aylesbury school site is enabling pupils to make a positive beginning to their secondary education. Leaders, staff and pupils have created a diverse and cohesive school community that values people from different cultures.

Pupils in all phases of the school, including those at the Aylesbury site, behave and attend well. Pupils' courtesy, delightful manners and good conduct are strengths of the school. Teaching is good in all phases and on both sites.

Pupils make good progress a...nd develop very positive attitudes to learning. Pupils achieve well in reading and mathematics in the primary phase. Their writing is improving rapidly.

Pupils in the secondary phase make particularly good progress in English and mathematics. The early years provision, including the Nursery, is good. Most children progress well with their reading, writing and mathematics, and quickly develop positive habits and relationships.

The sixth form has improved since the last inspection and is now good. Students develop impressive leadership skills and are helping to shape and improve the school. Since the last inspection, governors have reviewed the school's performance more stringently and precisely, leading to rapid improvement.

At all ages, pupils' spiritual, moral, social and cultural development is promoted well. Pupils from all cultures and beliefs benefit from frequent opportunities to reflect deeply. The school is rightly proud of its reputation and focus on sports and physical education (PE).

Inconsistent teaching in some areas of the secondary curriculum has resulted in uneven progress for some pupils. Some children in the early years do not have enough opportunity to develop their English language skills. Staffing changes in secondary science at the Wycombe site have led to variable teaching quality.

While current leadership has improved the sixth form, students' progress and attainment are not yet as strong as they should be.

Information about this school

St Michael's Catholic School is a non-selective all-through school catering for pupils aged three to 19. The school is larger than average.

The school operates a primary phase, secondary phase and sixth form. The overall provision in High Wycombe and Aylesbury is led by the executive headteacher. The primary phase is led by a deputy headteacher, who also oversees the early years provision, including the Nursery.

There are currently 420 pupils in the primary phase. In September 2018, a new secondary satellite school opened in Aylesbury, with 120 pupils admitted into Year 7. Pupils on the Aylesbury site are currently in a temporary building.

The Aylesbury site shares the same curriculum, assessment systems and behaviour management approaches as the High Wycombe site. A head of school leads the Aylesbury provision, assisted by a senior assistant headteacher who works across both sites. A higher-than-average proportion of pupils on the High Wycombe site speak English as an additional language.

A very small number of pupils attend the pupil referral unit, Aspire, as alternative provision. The school is part of the Catholic Diocese of Northampton. The school's last section 48 inspection took place in March 2016.

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