Dear Parents/Carers,
A message from our School Governors: As we near the end of our final term of this academic year we wanted to give you an update on some of the things that have been happening in school.
Year 6 SATS
We know that everyone involved poured their heart and soul into supporting Oak Class with their Year 6 SATs, and it truly paid off. We’ve seen the results and honestly, we couldn’t be prouder or more impressed with how well everyone did. A particular thanks goes to those who led very successful reading fluency groups which took place before the school day even began! It’s moments like these that really highlight just how wonderful and special our school is. It’s not just a reminder of how important we are in our community, but also shows how brilliantly we’re performing on a national level. What an amazing achievement for Oak Class, and for everyone who helped them get there! Well done.
Parent Survey Results
Thank you to those of you who completed our parent survey at parent’s evening. We had an excellent response, and the results show a very positive picture with highlights including:
● 100% of respondents said they would recommend St Michael’s to another parent
● 95% agreed that their child is happy at school (2% neither agreed or disagreed and 3% disagreed)
● 94% agreed that their child feels safe at school (3% neither agreed or disagreed and 3% disagreed)
● 92% agreed that their child does well at this school (6% neither agreed or disagreed and 2% disagreed)
● 92% agreed that there is a good range of subjects available for their child (5% neither agreed or disagreed and 3% disagreed).
● 89% agreed that school supports their child’s wider personal development (5% neither agreed or disagreed and 6% disagreed).
We particularly love the following comments which demonstrate why we are so proud to be governors:
“It is clear how deeply all the staff care about the school and the children. You always remain professional while keeping a very human touch and I honestly don’t think there is a weak link to be found at St Michael’s. My children are incredibly lucky to be part of such a great school with such outstanding teachers and leaders.”
“I am so happy that we chose this school for our children. It is wonderful to see the children thrive in such a happy, healthy, supportive and encouraging environment. They are both so different, yet the school strives to meet their needs as individuals every day.”
Staffing
At the end of this term, we will say a sad farewell to Miss Lipscombe who has been a key part of our early years provision for a number of years as well as leading forest school and being a member of the Willows team. We are all going to miss her. We are also sad to be saying goodbye to Miss Aldred. We wish them both well for the future. We also extend our best wishes and congratulations to Mrs Ford and Mrs Sharp who are both now on maternity leave.
Hopefully you will have seen our new staffing structure for 2025-6 and if you have a child/children with us next year we hope they enjoyed spending some time with their new teacher recently. Some of you have now met Ms Stafford, our new Year 3 teacher who we are all looking forward to getting to know better next year. We are delighted that Stuart Roberts has joined our team as a caretaker and is already having a positive impact on the school and grounds.
During the next academic year, Mrs Arkwright will continue in her role as a Consultant Headteacher for the Wiltshire school effectiveness team, with Mr Everitt continuing as Acting Headteacher when Mrs Arkwright is not in school.
PTA update
There will be some significant changes to the PTA in September as Michelle Miles steps down as Chair after 7 fabulous years of service. A number of other committee members are also finishing, and we want to thank all of them for their considerable effort in raising a huge amount of money over the years and also maintaining a vital link between parents and the school. We look forward to what September brings and we encourage those of you with children at St Michael’s next year to get involved in whatever way you can.
Governing Body update
We say thank you to Alison Whalley for all her hard work as a Foundation Governor over the past few years and we welcome George Harris who joins the team as her replacement.
Enrichment opportunities
We continue to be impressed by the many and varied experiences that pupils at St Michael’s are offered. Over the past few weeks children have had sports tournaments, farm trips, theatre trips, music events and numerous exciting visitors to the school amongst other things and of course the school play! If you haven’t already done so we would encourage you to visit the school blog, Facebook Page and Instagram Page to catch up on all the latest news from our happy school.
We want to take this opportunity to thank you for all that you do to help make these things happen. This has included running our popular after school sports clubs, providing lifts and volunteering for a variety of activities. We are also forever grateful to our administrative team who work tirelessly to organise all the logistics and the wider community for all the support they have provided over the past year. From reading to sewing and heritage walks to music there really are too many to mention here. We would like to particularly thank our church clergy and community for everything they do for our school, particularly the weekly Share the Story sessions and the Count on Nature experience which was greatly enjoyed by all the children.
Our wider impact
We continue to be impressed by the positive impact that our small school has in the wider world of education. Mrs Arkwright recently spoke at a national conference about teaching strategies to maximise success for all learners. The school continues to host courses showcasing our approach to teaching and learning across key stage one (continuous provision) as well as sharing our knowledge and experience with other schools. Schools travel from far and wide to attend! Our reputation has now grown to the point where we are being approached about putting on bespoke training for other schools. The courses provide a number of benefits including increasing our own knowledge and experience and bringing in vital funds for our school. What an amazing achievement.
Have a wonderful summer
We hope you all have a fantastic summer. For those of you returning next year we look forward to welcoming your children back in September. For those of you whose children are moving on, we wish them, and you, all the best for the future and for a happy transition into their next phase of education.
St Michael’s School Governors
The Governors at St Michael’s, together with the staff team, are responsible for ensuring that the school delivers the best educational and learning environment possible. To find out more, including how to contact a member of the governing body please see the governor section of the school website.
