St Michael's CofE (A) First School

About St Michael's CofE (A) First School

St Michael's CofE (A) First School is a Church of England primary in South Staffordshire that is running very close to full capacity, with 148 pupils against a school capacity of 150. That near-full roll is no surprise given the demand: for the 2025/26 intake, the school received 68 applications for 30 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.27, and 29 of those 30 offers went to first-preference families. The school serves a relatively mixed catchment — 13.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, which is slightly above the national primary average but not dramatically so, and reflects a community that is neither especially affluent nor disadvantaged. As a first school taking children from age 3 to 9, it also offers nursery provision, which will appeal to families looking for continuity from early years through to the end of Key Stage 2. The religious character is Church of England, so parents should expect a faith-based ethos woven into daily school life.

Academically, St Michael's holds a Good rating from Ofsted, confirmed in its most recent ungraded inspection in February 2022, where inspectors judged that the school remains Good. The graded inspection that preceded it was in July 2011, when the school was also rated Good overall, with leadership and management judged Outstanding. That's a notable strength — the current headteacher, Rebecca Crow, leads a team that has sustained a strong rating over time. The early years provision was rated Good in the 2022 inspection. While the school does not publish Key Stage 2 SATs results in this data, the local authority average for KS2 attainment across Staffordshire primary schools is 65, which gives a useful benchmark for parents to compare against when results become available. The school's previous inspection in 2008 rated it Requires Improvement, so the trajectory has been clearly upward, and the current leadership has maintained that improvement.

The school offers a solid range of facilities for a primary of this size, including a music room, ICT suite, art studios, a sensory room, sports hall, and a chapel. Sports provision is strong, with gymnastics, netball, swimming, athletics, tennis, cricket, and football on offer, plus clubs like science club, chess, choir, and drama. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given the oversubscription rate, families should be prepared to apply early and list St Michael's as a first preference — 30 first-preference applications were received for those 30 places, so it's competitive but not impossible. This is a school that suits families who want a church primary with strong leadership, a broad extracurricular offer, and a clear track record of improvement.

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