St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone

St Michael’s Church of England Infant School, Maidstone, is a small, welcoming school where pupils feel safe and are warmly cared for. Inspectors found that pupils behave well, enjoy learning and achieve well overall, supported by an ambitious curriculum and effective provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Reading is a priority, phonics is carefully checked and pupils catch up quickly, while enrichment such as trips and workshops brings learning to life. Safeguarding arrangements are effective, and leaders support attendance and staff wellbeing well. The school is part of the St Michael’s Schools’ Federation and shares an executive headteacher and governing body with the junior school. This was its first routine inspection since the pandemic and its first section 5 inspection since 2014, when it was previously judged outstanding. Under current arrangements it received no overall effectiveness grade, although all inspected areas were judged good. The main area for improvement is the wider curriculum: some content is too vague and subject-specific vocabulary is not emphasised consistently enough. As a result, pupils do not always remember and recall important knowledge and language as well as leaders intend, despite achieving well overall.

Strengths

• Warm, nurturing care helps pupils feel safe and behave well.
• Pupils enjoy an ambitious curriculum and achieve well overall.
• Staff receive effective training and teach the curriculum knowledgeably.
• Pupils with SEND are precisely identified and well supported.
• Reading is a priority, with a reviewed phonics approach that helps pupils catch up quickly.
• Enrichment, trips and workshops bring learning to life.
• Personal development is strong, including safety workshops and responsible citizenship.
• Attendance is supported effectively and most pupils attend regularly.
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective.
• Staff feel valued and leaders are mindful of workload and wellbeing.
• Governors know the school well and provide appropriate support and challenge.

Areas for Improvement

• Some wider curriculum content is not explicit enough, so pupils do not consistently retain and recall key knowledge.
• Subject-specific vocabulary is not emphasised consistently across the wider curriculum.

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 Infant School Maidstone attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.3% 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 Church of England Infant School Maidstone 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 Infant School Maidstone had 13.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.7% 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, 10.2% of pupils at St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Infant School Maidstone received £7,481 and spent £7,453 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £69,000 (£581 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 Maidstone · Kent local authority: places and applications

What is St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone last inspected by Ofsted?

St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone have?

St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone has 118 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone cover?

St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone for pupils aged 5 to 7.

Where is St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone?

St Michael's Church of England Infant School Maidstone is at Douglas Road, Maidstone, Kent, ME16 8ER.