St Michael's Primary School

St Michael's Primary School is a small school in East Sussex that meets the expected standards in education, showcasing notable strengths in safeguarding, curriculum implementation, and support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The school has made significant efforts to improve outcomes since its last inspection, with leaders actively monitoring progress and adapting teaching methods to meet diverse pupil needs. However, attendance remains a concern, having dropped post-pandemic, prompting leaders to prioritize strategies to enhance attendance rates moving forward.

Strengths

• Strong safeguarding practices ensuring pupils feel safe and cared for.
• Broad and exciting curriculum designed to engage pupils from early years onwards.
• Effective support and adaptation of teaching for pupils with SEND.
• Pupils demonstrate confidence in their learning and use of subject vocabulary.
• Positive relationships among pupils, staff, and families contributing to a supportive environment.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance rates have declined and remain lower than national averages.
• Inconsistent feedback on pupil errors leads to persistent mistakes in their work.
• Monitoring of the curriculum is not equally rigorous across all 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 Primary School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 20.3% 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 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 Primary School had 14.5 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, 20.3% of pupils at St Michael's Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 9.5% 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 Primary School received £9,181 and spent £9,054 for each of its 74 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £125,000 (£1,689 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 Wealden · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in May 2026.

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

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

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

St Michael's Primary School has 74 pupils on roll.

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

St Michael's Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Michael's Primary School?

St Michael's Primary School is at Station Road, Withyham, Hartfield, East Sussex, TN7 4BP.