St Michael's CofE Primary School, Lyme Regis

About St Michael's CofE Primary School, Lyme Regis

St Michael's CofE Primary School in Lyme Regis is a small Church of England primary in the Dorset local authority, one of 119 state primary schools across the county. With just 73 pupils on roll against a capacity of 189, it is significantly under-subscribed, though admissions data for 2025/26 shows it was oversubscribed: five first-preference applications were received for five places, with one additional application overall giving a ratio of 1.2 applicants per place. The school sits in a local landscape where the top-performing peers, according to ranking scores, are Spetisbury CofE Primary School (score 96), St Ives Primary & Nursery School (87), and Sticklands Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School (82). Dorset has only three primaries rated Outstanding out of its 119, so the bar for top-tier performance is high. St Michael's itself holds a Requires Improvement rating from its most recent graded inspection in April 2022, a grade it also received in its previous inspection in 2018.

Academically, the school's Ofsted breakdown from 2022 shows a mixed picture. While overall effectiveness, quality of education, early years provision, and leadership and management were all judged Requires Improvement, personal development and behaviour and attitudes both received a Good rating. This suggests that while the school's academic delivery needs work, pupils' personal growth and conduct are stronger. The data does not include specific KS2 SATs results for St Michael's, so it is not possible to compare its attainment directly against the Dorset local authority average of 56. However, the school's small size and high proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (37%) may present additional challenges. The previous inspection in 2018 also rated overall effectiveness as Requires improvement, indicating that the school has not yet been able to shift its trajectory despite some improvements in personal development and behaviour.

For families considering St Michael's, the school offers a range of facilities including a sports hall, library, forest school, art studios, ICT suite, sensory room, and a chapel, alongside clubs such as gardening, book club, science club, art club, and coding. Sports on offer include tennis, gymnastics, netball, football, dance, and cricket. The school provides SEND support for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. With a headteacher, Nick Kiddle, leading a very small school community, this setting may suit families who value a close-knit environment and are comfortable with a school that is still working through its improvement journey. The oversubscription in 2025/26 suggests local demand exists, but the overall low roll means places are generally available for those who apply.

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