St. Michael’s is a Voluntary Aided four-form entry secondary grammar school for girls. It was established in 1908 and the Trusteeship is under the control of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus. It became a Voluntary Aided Grammar School in September 1958. Boys were admitted to our 6th Form from September 2009.
The prime aim of the school is the formation of responsible and committed Catholic citizens. It seeks to encourage the highest standards in academic achievement, social responsibility and personal development in a specifically Catholic environment.
It is a compact school comprising five adjacent buildings of widely contrasting styles; the Sixth Form Centre is The Grange, an adapted 19th century private house with a lawn and surrounded by trees to which a Resource Centre was added in 1999; the lower school, a stone building from the early 1900s; the main School built in the 1950s; the Sports Hall built in 2008.
St Michael’s is a Catholic school in which Gospel values inform all aspects of community life.
We are distinguished by the quality of education and care extended to all those in the school community.
Each person is recognised as an individual and everybody is valued and enabled to fulfil their potential.
In partnership with the wider community we are prepared to make full use of all the opportunities available so that we are all freed to become the individuals God wishes us to be, and to create a better world.
St. Michael’s is a very special place, it is first and foremost a Catholic school; the ethos implanted here by the Sisters of the Poor Child Jesus who founded this school. The trustees, governors and staff remain committed to enabling our students become the person God intended them to be; supporting them to make sense of this complex world and to seek out their unique purpose in life. St Michael’s is a place of spiritual formation – we recognise that Jesus has taught us that we should “love one another as he loved us” – and this gives a focus to the pastoral support we offer our young people.
St. Michael’s is also a place of intellectual exploration and achievement. This school is extraordinarily successful – this has been recognised by Ofsted on numerous occasions and every year our students achieve outstanding A Level and GCSE results. Whilst the results are impressive – the true value of these results is what our students are able to do with them. For our students, their A Level grades enable them to open doors to the most prestigious universities and courses. This school exists to enable its young people to move on to the next stage of life’s journey, equipped with the qualifications which will lead them to success, but also the skills and attitudes which will enrich their life and enable them to take up positions of influence in our society – and so change it for the better.
If you visit us, the first thing you will notice is the calm atmosphere around the school site and especially in the classrooms. We have very considerate and hardworking students as well as highly capable and caring teachers. In all schools, the success of any child depends upon the partnership between parents, teachers and child – and at St. Michael’s there is not just a partnership – but an active and effective commitment to what is being achieved for our young people.
Own or work here?
