St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington

St Michael’s Church of England Primary School, Alkrington was inspected in October 2024, following a previous grade of requires improvement. It is now judged good in all inspected areas: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Under the current inspection framework, no overall effectiveness grade is given. Pupils are happy, feel well supported and behave well, and the school has high expectations for achievement, including for pupils with SEND. The school has developed a broad and balanced curriculum and has prioritised reading, with phonics beginning in Reception and strong early reading practice. Pupils benefit from a wide range of trips, clubs and responsibilities, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Most pupils achieve well and attend regularly. However, the report identifies some inconsistency in how well staff deliver and adapt the curriculum, and some pupils have gaps in prior knowledge that are not consistently identified and addressed, particularly in recently refined subjects. Strategic oversight by governors is committed but not precise enough in some areas, limiting the information available to hold the school fully to account.

Strengths

• Broad and balanced curriculum with clearly sequenced knowledge
• Children in early years are well prepared for their next steps
• Teachers generally explain new content well and benefit from useful training
• Assessment is generally used effectively to adapt future learning
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and included in all aspects of school life
• Reading is prioritised, with high-quality books and a well-implemented phonics programme
• Pupils read widely and often, including through links with the local library
• Pupils are polite, well mannered and behave well in lessons and at social times
• Pupils have high levels of attendance and understand why attending school matters
• Personal development is well provided through trips, clubs, visitors and pupil responsibilities
• Staff value teamwork and the school’s consideration for work-life balance
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• The governing body brings relevant knowledge and skills and is committed to improvement

Areas for Improvement

• Staff do not always deliver the curriculum consistently well
• Learning activities are not always adapted sufficiently to help all pupils learn as well as they could
• Staff do not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils’ prior knowledge, especially in recently improved subjects
• Strategic oversight by governors lacks precision in some areas
• The school does not always provide governors with detailed enough information to hold it fully to account

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 Church of England Primary School, Alkrington attended 95.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.0% 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, 1.5% of pupils at St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington 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 Church of England Primary School, Alkrington had 23.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 12.2% of pupils at St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 Church of England Primary School, Alkrington received £6,708 and spent £6,726 for each of its 205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £19,000 (£92 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).

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What is St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington have?

St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington has 205 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington cover?

St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 65% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington?

St Michael's Church of England Primary School, Alkrington is at Boardman Fold Road, Alkrington, St Michael's C E Primary School, Manchester, M24 1GD.