St Michael's Church of England First School, Minehead
St Michael's Church of England First School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 9 in Minehead, part of Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership. It has a Church of England religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. It was 97% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Somerset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Michael's Church of England First School in detail
St Michael's Church of England First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are extremely proud of our school; St. Michael's is a C of E school in the heart of our community with our community family at its heart. We are located in West Somerset, an area renowned for the outstanding natural beauty of Exmoor, its rolling hills, farmlands and sublime seascapes."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, cricket, athletics, swimming, choir, Lego, cooking, gardening and art.
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at St Michael's Church of England First School
For September 2026 entry, 33 families put St Michael's Church of England First School as their first choice and 55 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Michael's Church of England First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Michael's Church of England First School are Minehead First School (0.3 miles, Good); Dunster First School (2.2 miles, Good); Timberscombe Church of England First School (2.7 miles, Good); and Cutcombe Church of England First School (5.3 miles, Good).
Minehead First SchoolDunster First SchoolTimberscombe Church of England First SchoolCutcombe Church of England First School
The trust
St Michael's Church of England First School is one of 44 schools run by Midsomer Norton Schools Partnership, an academy trust.
What parents say
46 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Michael's Church of England First School (as of September 2025): 85% would recommend the school, 91% say their child is happy there and 53% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school has high expectations for their child (94%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (53%).
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 10.8% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 28 pupils (18.9%) received SEN support and 4 (2.7%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Minehead (West Somerset Railway), about 840 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Parade (e-bound), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 69 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Somerset (22), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Michael's Church of England First School issued 12 suspensions, 8.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Michael's Church of England First School are Minehead Middle School (0.6 miles) and West Somerset College (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Michael's excels at teaching children to read with confidence and fluency from Reception Year, with staff providing extra support to help any struggling readers catch up quickly. The school is excellent at supporting pupils with additional needs, ensuring they access the full curriculum and achieve their potential. Pupils benefit from a rich range of experiences including regular swimming lessons, sports clubs, and community links that build their confidence and resilience.
Key Strengths
- Strong reading achievement with effective phonics teaching and careful monitoring of pupil progress -
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND who are fully included and achieve their potential -
- Well-developed foundation skills in writing and mathematics from Reception Year -
- Above-average pupil attendance with leaders taking immediate action on absences -
- Wide and varied curriculum with many clubs and activities including football, cricket, art and regular swimming
Areas for Improvement
- A small number of subject curriculums not fully developed with assessment systems still being embedded -
- Lessons not consistently adjusted to address gaps or misconceptions in some subjects -
- Pupils' knowledge of British values and world religions is limited and needs strengthening
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong systems in place and staff alert to pupils' needs and concerns.
Extracurricular Activities
Football, cricket, art club, indoor swimming pool
St Michael's Church of England First School is a friendly and welcoming school where pupils are safe, happy and well looked after. The school has maintained good standards and continues to be aspirational for all pupils to achieve well.
At a Glance
12.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
46 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
29.6
Avg class size
30.3
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
5
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Michael's Church of England First School
2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
17th July 2026
17 Jul 2026
10th July 2026
10 Jul 2026
From St Michael's Church of England First School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Michael's Church of England First School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Ferry Terminals
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Michael's Church of England First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Michael's Church of England First School is in Somerset; for families living there:
Apply to Somerset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 12
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Michael's Church of England First School
Will you get a place at St Michael's Church of England First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Michael's Church of England First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Michael's Church of England First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Michael's Church of England First School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Somerset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Michael's Church of England First School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Somerset got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
97%
Near capacity
146 pupils
150 places
4 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Minehead
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Minehead
Across Somerset council
Places available
6,414
Applications
4,928
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Somerset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
21.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
148
Total Pupils
70
Boys
78
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
21.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,142
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,435
Per pupil
£883k
Total funding
£27k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.0%
Overall absence
13.3%
Persistent absence
120
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Michael's Church of England First School
Questions parents ask about St Michael's Church of England First School
What is St Michael's Church of England First School's Ofsted rating?
St Michael's Church of England First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Michael's Church of England First School?
No fixed boundary. When St Michael's Church of England First School is oversubscribed, Somerset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Michael's Church of England First School?
St Michael's Church of England First School was close to full in 2025, at 97% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Michael's Church of England First School?
Classes at St Michael's Church of England First School average 29.6 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Michael's Church of England First School?
St Michael's Church of England First School has around 148 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Michael's Church of England First School?
5% of sessions were missed at St Michael's Church of England First School in 2024/25. 13.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Michael's Church of England First School?
Apply through Somerset's coordinated admissions process, naming St Michael's Church of England First School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near St Michael's Church of England First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 12 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 10 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Somerset is 3 (the median across 307 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Michael's Church of England First School?
St Michael's Church of England First School is at Watery Lane, Minehead, Somerset, TA24 5NY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)