St Michael's CofE Primary School

St Michael's CofE Primary School is performing strongly. This full section 5 inspection found the school reaching a strong standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development and wellbeing. Safeguarding standards are met, with an open and positive safeguarding culture. Pupils achieve highly, with outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics significantly above national averages. Reading and phonics are particular strengths, disadvantaged pupils and pupils with SEND are well supported, behaviour is excellent, and attendance continues to improve. The curriculum is ambitious, teaching is consistent, early years provision gives children a strong start, and leadership and governance are effective. The school is larger than average, has nursery provision and a before- and after-school club, and has had a new headteacher since September 2022. The report identifies no significant weaknesses. The main development point is to continue building on existing approaches so pupils achieve the highest possible outcomes across subjects, including further enhancing mathematical problem-solving and reasoning.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve highly across reading, writing and mathematics, with outcomes significantly above national averages.
• Early reading and phonics provision is a particular strength, helping pupils who fall behind catch up quickly.
• Pupils behave extremely well, with calm and orderly conduct in classrooms, transitions and wider school life.
• Leaders place a firm emphasis on attendance and work persistently with families to reduce barriers.
• The curriculum is ambitious, well-sequenced and enriched by meaningful experiences that link learning to the wider world.
• Teaching is consistently effective, supported by secure subject knowledge and carefully targeted professional development.
• Early years provision gives children a strong start, with a clear focus on communication, language and early reading.
• Inclusion is central to school life, with timely and effective support for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and others.
• Leadership and governance are strong, with a clear vision, evidence-informed improvement and effective support and challenge.
• Professional development is a significant strength, valued by staff including early career teachers.
• Personal development and pastoral care are particular strengths, helping pupils build resilience and emotional confidence.
• Pupils benefit from a rich range of wider experiences, leadership roles, sports, music, performance and enrichment.
• Pupils feel safe, valued and listened to, and relationships between staff and pupils are warm and respectful.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility.

Areas for Improvement

• Continue to enhance pupils' mathematical problem-solving and reasoning so they achieve the highest possible outcomes across subjects.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Michael's CofE Primary School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.2% of pupils at St Michael's CofE Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Michael's CofE Primary School had 22.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 9.1% of pupils at St Michael's CofE Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Michael's CofE Primary School received £7,284 and spent £7,052 for each of its 431 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £136,000 (£316 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Enfield · Enfield local authority: places and applications

What is St Michael's CofE Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's CofE Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

When was St Michael's CofE Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael's CofE Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Michael's CofE Primary School have?

St Michael's CofE Primary School has 438 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael's CofE Primary School cover?

St Michael's CofE Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Michael's CofE Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 83% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Michael's CofE Primary School?

St Michael's CofE Primary School is at Brigadier Hill, Enfield, EN2 0NB.