Saint Michael CofE Primary School

About Saint Michael CofE Primary School

Saint Michael CofE Primary School in Peterborough received a Requires Improvement rating from Ofsted in its most recent graded inspection in September 2022, a downgrade from its previous Requires improvement grade in 2018. The school’s overall effectiveness and quality of education both scored 3 on the four-point scale, while leadership and management also dropped to a 3. However, several areas were rated Good: personal development, behaviour and attitudes, and early years provision. This mixed picture means that while the school has clear strengths in how it supports pupils’ personal growth and conduct, the core academic delivery needs work. The most telling exam metric is the local authority’s average Key Stage 2 score of 59, which provides a benchmark for how Saint Michael’s pupils typically perform compared with other primary schools in Peterborough. Without the school’s own published KS2 results, parents will want to look closely at whether the school is closing the gap to that LA average.

Academically, the school’s Ofsted breakdown highlights that the quality of education is the main area requiring improvement, with leadership and management also flagged. The previous inspection in 2018 rated early years provision as Requires improvement, but this has since improved to Good, suggesting progress in the youngest pupils’ experience. The school has 404 pupils on roll, close to its capacity of 420, and 17.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average. In the local context, only four of Peterborough’s 60 primary schools are rated Outstanding, and the nearest one, St John Henry Newman Catholic VA Primary School, is 3.2 km away. This means that for many families, Saint Michael may be the most practical option despite its rating, especially given its oversubscription: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 81 applications for 55 places, with 54 first-preference offers made.

For families considering Saint Michael, the school offers a solid range of facilities including playing fields, an ICT suite, art studios, a library, music rooms, a sensory room, and a chapel. Sports include football, cross country, dance, and athletics, while clubs range from gardening and film club to coding, eco club, and drama. The school’s SEND provisions are notably broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. This makes it a strong option for families whose children require additional support. The school is oversubscribed with a ratio of 1.47 applicants per place, so applying as a first preference is important. It suits families who value a Church of England ethos, a wide range of enrichment activities, and a school that is transparent about its areas for improvement while offering strong pastoral and SEND support.

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