St Michael's Primary School, Hartfield

Requires Improvement
Primary
Community school
Mixed
Ages 411

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Very likely (~1.5km)Possible (~2.2km)Unlikely (~2.8km)Confidence: medium

Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Catherine O'Shea
Pupils:74 / 105 capacity
LA:East Sussex
Phone:01892770307
Address:Station Road, Withyham, Hartfield, TN7 4BP
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Requires Improvement

Overall

URN:114423
UKPRN:10077107
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Sussex Weald
Urban/Rural:Smaller rural: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

St Michael's is a special place where children flourish in a caring, inclusive community. The school excels at supporting all learners, from Reception through to Year 6, with particularly strong early years provision and responsive support for pupils with additional needs. Staff know children extremely well and create engaging learning experiences that bring subjects to life, helping pupils develop confidence and a love of learning.

Key Strengths

  • Strong early years provision with children developing confidence, independence and secure core skills from the start
  • Thoughtful classroom support helping all pupils progress well, including those with special educational needs
  • Broad and engaging curriculum with clear guidance for teachers on what to teach and when
  • Warm relationships and positive school culture where pupils feel safe and valued
  • Effective leadership that has addressed previous improvement areas and manages staff wellbeing carefully

Areas for Improvement

  • Pupil attendance has been consistently lower than the national average in recent years, though leaders are taking action
  • Some pupils do not receive timely feedback about mistakes such as spelling or letter formation, causing errors to persist
  • Monitoring of curriculum quality is inconsistent across different subjects

Safeguarding

Safeguarding standards are met - leaders have established an open culture where safeguarding is everyone's responsibility, concerns are actively identified and managed, and pupils are made safer and feel safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Sports day, National Garden Scheme participation, parent teacher association fundraising activities

St Michael's Primary School is a small primary school where pupils achieve in line with national averages and benefit from a broad, exciting curriculum. Leaders have successfully addressed previous inspection concerns and created a warm, inclusive community where children thrive.

At a Glance

5.4%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading-29ppMaths+15ppWriting-7pp

Reading has declined from 100% to 71%. Maths has improved from 56% to 71%. Writing has declined from 78% to 71%.

Class Sizes

18.3

Avg class size

9.5

Infant (KS1)

27.0

KS2

4

Total classes

1 class with more than 30 pupils

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Station Road (adj)
317m · 5 min walk
The Dorset Arms (adj)
502m · 8 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

70%

Available places

74 pupils

105 capacity

31 spare places available

Area Demand Pressure - Hartfield

Low pressure
New homes approved:87
Projected new pupils:22

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Hartfield

Admissions Demand - East Sussex

Low demand0.83x oversubscription

Places available

5,643

Applications

4,708

Got 1st preference

91.2%

Got preferred school

98.0%

Primary admissions across East Sussex (2025/26)

Inspection History(17)

Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement
Date not published by Ofsted
Requires Improvement

House Prices

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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School Funding

Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.

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Pupil Absence
2024/25

6.76686%

Overall absence

20.28986%

Persistent absence

69

Enrolments

Authorised5.38264%
Unauthorised1.38422%
Persistent (10%+)20.28986%
Severe (50%+)0%

Absence trend

3.02557%
18/19
2.80689%
20/21
5.29858%
21/22
7.27605%
22/23
6.27309%
23/24
6.76686%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

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