St Michael's Catholic School

St Michael's Catholic School is performing well overall, meeting strong standards in various areas including attendance, behaviour, and personal development. The safeguarding measures are effectively implemented, making pupils feel safe and supported. Leaders have established an ambitious curriculum that effectively caters to the diverse needs of students, including those who are disadvantaged and those with special educational needs. While the school excels in supporting individual progress, there are some concerns regarding the depth and quality of writing among pupils, which requires further attention.

Strengths

• Pupils' attendance is above average and improving.
• Strong atmosphere of engagement and participation in lessons.
• Highly effective support for pupils with specific needs.
• Excellent personal development and wellbeing curriculum.
• Leaders have a clear and aspirational vision for education.

Areas for Improvement

• Need for improvement in the depth and quality of pupils' writing.
• Inconsistency in addressing basic errors in writing.

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 Catholic School attended 93.2% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 18.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 6.1% of pupils at St Michael's Catholic School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). One pupil was 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 Catholic School had 17.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.2% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 13.1% of pupils at St Michael's Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 St Michael's Catholic School received £6,824 and spent £7,240 for each of its 2,352 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £4,075,000 (£1,733 per pupil).

Across all 17 schools of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, income was £7,112 and spending £7,057 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in High Wycombe · Buckinghamshire local authority: places and applications

St Michael's Catholic School is part of St Thomas Catholic Academies Trust, which runs 18 schools. The nearest others:

• St Peter's Catholic Primary School Marlow
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary School Amersham
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Gerrards Cross
• St Anthony's Catholic Primary School Slough
• St Joseph's Catholic High School Slough
• St Ethelbert's Catholic Primary School Slough
• Holy Family Catholic Primary School Slough
• St Edward's Catholic Junior School Aylesbury
• St Joseph's Catholic Infant School Aylesbury
• St Louis Catholic Primary School Aylesbury

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Michael's Catholic School is Expected standard, from an inspection in April 2026.

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

St Michael's Catholic School was last inspected in April 2026.

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

St Michael's Catholic School has 2,414 pupils on roll.

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

St Michael's Catholic School for pupils aged 3 to 19.

What are St Michael's Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 48.7, and 46% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Michael's Catholic School?

St Michael's Catholic School is at Daws Hill Lane, High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP11 1PW.