Dear students, parents, guardians and carers,
It is a pleasure and a privilege to welcome you to St Michael’s Church of England High School’s website.
We have been based at the Curral Road site since 2011, and we enjoy working and learning in a beautiful building with state-of-the-art facilities, including three multi-use games areas; sports fields; a sports hall; a dance studio; a drama theatre; a spacious Learning Resource Centre; design and technology rooms; computer suites; food and textiles facilities and science laboratories. Classrooms and corridors are light and spacious and at the heart of the school is a beautiful chapel: a peaceful space for prayer and reflection.
We educate over 1230 students at St Michael’s. We have been oversubscribed for many years, with over 500 students applying for 240 places in Year 7 every year. We provide a broad, rich and deep curriculum, taught by expert, passionate teachers in a safe, caring and supportive environment. We are relentless in our pursuit of high standards, whilst promoting Christian values of mercy; integrity; care and compassion; humility; achievement; equality; leadership and service.
At St Michael’s, we aim to show love, care and kindness to all in our community. We value what we have and share with others, and we aim to enable everyone to achieve their full potential. In 2017, Ofsted again judged our school to be Good, awarding us Outstanding for Personal Development and Welfare. In 2019, our Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools visit resulted in the highest judgement of Excellent for ‘The impact of collective worship’; ‘The effectiveness of Religious Education’ and the ‘Overall Judgement: ‘How effective is the school’s distinctive Christian vision, established and promoted by leadership at all levels, in enabling pupils and adults to flourish?’ This outcome was a very prestigious, highly valued honour.
Academic success at St Michael’s has gone from strength to strength: pre-Covid-19, there had been a significant improvement in examination results, culminating in two years of exceptional student progress with many subjects and cohorts exceeding national figures for attainment and progress. During the height of the pandemic, our school community donated food, gifts, aprons and goggles, and we manufactured and donated visors to hospitals, surgeries, care homes, hospices and schools over lockdown. Whilst Covid-19 has forced changes upon us, our children have adapted, continued to flourish and proven their resilience.
In October 2021, St Michael’s suffered the loss of an inspirational Headteacher, Mrs Jayne Gray. Staff and students took solace in the love, thoughtfulness, kindness, care and compassion received from the local community. Suffering bereavement from this tragic event has united staff and students, and we remain relentless in our pursuit of excellence.
Our award-winning Student Voice children work tirelessly for the benefit of others: highlighting the problems faced by 21st Century children; liaising with local agencies to tackle environmental and social issues; supporting our local and global community and raising money for charity (over £60,000 to date). Our Junior Leadership Team and Well-being Champions are pioneers within school; through collaborative working partnerships, they help inform strategies and help shape curriculum design.
As a welcoming, collaborative school community, we hope it will not be too long before all restrictions are lifted and we can resume normal activities. We look forward to working in partnership with you over the coming months and years; to ensure the best possible outcomes for your children.
With kindest regards,
Mrs Christina Handy-Rivett (MA; NPQH)
Headteacher