Celebrations at Weeton St Michael's CE Primary School as it moves out of requires improvement

Weeton St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School was inspected on September 24 and 25, and was classed as ‘good’ for all categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision.

The school, located on Church Road in Weeton, was last given a ‘requires improvement’ classification from Ofsted in January 2023 but before that it had held a ‘good’ rating since 2004.

Weeton St Michael’s latest good report comes after Ofsted changed the way it inspects school - no overall effectiveness rating is now given instead just individual ratings across categories.

The school believes it is the first in Lancashire to achieve a ‘good’ rating across the board under the new system which they say “makes this recognition all the more special.”

What did Ofsted say was particularly good about Weeton St Michael's CE Primary School?

The report starts by praising the pupils at the school; they are proud to be there, they are kind and respectful and the older pupils in particular are good role models to their younger peers.

Inspectors go on to say how “pupils’ learning has been transformed”, citing how the school has “successfully strengthened the curriculum” which is now well-designed and ambitious.

The school has also raised it’s expectations for pupils’ achievement and in turn “pupils work hard in all year groups to rise to these aspirations” and they achieve well across the board.

Staff are said to have developed their expertise across a range of curriculum areas and they check carefully that pupils understand important concepts before introducing new ideas.

The school’s trips and extra-curricular clubs are also praised, as is the promotion of reading and the pupils’ personal development which is “at the very centre of all that the school has to offer. “

What did Ofsted say Weeton St Michael's CE Primary School needed to improve on?

Inspectors noted that at times, the support for pupils with SEND is not as effective as it should be, meaning on occasion, some pupils struggle to access their learning.

They also said that, as some staff are getting used to the new phonics programme that the school has introduced, there are some inconsistencies in how well it is being delivered.

This means that some pupils do not learn to read fluently as quickly as they should.

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What did say about their report?

Headteacher Luke Smith said: “We are immensely proud of our recent OFSTED report, which reflects the hard work and dedication of our entire school community. Achieving a ‘Good’ rating in all areas highlights the commitment of our staff, children, and families to creating a supportive and ambitious learning environment. It’s a true testament to the positive transformation here at Weeton St. Michael’s, and we are excited to continue this journey of growth.

“We warmly welcome anyone interested in joining us, either in-year or for the next academic year, to come along to our Open Day on Saturday, 2nd November at 10:30 a.m. This will be a great opportunity to meet our team, see our school in action, and experience the positive changes firsthand.”