St Michael's Nursery and Infant School

St Michael’s Nursery and Infant School is performing well, effectively maintaining the standards set during its previous inspection. The school provides a welcoming and nurturing environment where children are happy, safe, and well cared for, fostering strong relationships with the community. High expectations for pupils' achievements ensure they are well-prepared for the next educational stages. The curriculum is broad and ambitious, particularly in English and mathematics, promoting a love for learning and effective communication skills, especially for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND).

Strengths

• The school has a joyful atmosphere where children feel valued.
• Strong relationships between the school and the community enhance pupil safety and well-being.
• High expectations for pupil achievement and effective curriculum delivery.
• Robust support for pupils with SEND, ensuring they achieve well.
• A strong focus on developing communication and language skills.
• Successful phonics programme leading to confident and fluent readers.
• Excellent personal, social, and emotional development initiatives.
• Prioritization of attendance with effective improvement strategies.

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, the essential knowledge for pupils has not been clearly identified.

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 Nursery and Infant School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.2% 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, 0.0% of pupils at St Michael's Nursery and Infant 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 Nursery and Infant School had 37.5 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, 17.1% of pupils at St Michael's Nursery and Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 8.5% 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 Nursery and Infant School received £7,986 and spent £8,933 for each of its 117 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £312,000 (-£2,668 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 Workington · Cumberland local authority: places and applications

What is St Michael's Nursery and Infant School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Nursery and Infant School is Good, from an inspection in May 2025.

When was St Michael's Nursery and Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael's Nursery and Infant School was last inspected in May 2025.

How many pupils does St Michael's Nursery and Infant School have?

St Michael's Nursery and Infant School has 117 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael's Nursery and Infant School cover?

St Michael's Nursery and Infant School for pupils aged 2 to 7.

Where is St Michael's Nursery and Infant School?

St Michael's Nursery and Infant School is at Station Road, Workington, Cumbria, CA14 2UY.