CHRISTIAN values make a significant contribution to life at St Michael’s First School in Minehead and have helped it achieve the highest possible rating in a specialist inspection report.

The school was judged to be “outstanding” across the board in a National Society Statutory Inspection of Anglican and Methodist Schools (SIAM) report.

Inspector Jane Tibbs said the school was a nurturing community where pupils were able to express their views and opinions confidently in an atmosphere of trust and respect.

There were close relationships between St Michael’s and local churches and it was deemed to be outstanding as a church of England school.

The inspector said: “The impact of a set of core Christian values has been central in providing a secure and stable environment.

“Pupils share their views with enthusiasm and listen to the options of others with respect.

“The school’s Christian values help pupils to understand what it means to have faith and the importance of treating each other with kindness.”

She said the school was committed to helping the less fortunate by supporting charities and Christian values also helped pupils academically.

“The existing links between Christian values and pupils’ learning have an impact on academic achievement through such links as resilience and the courage to persevere when faced with a problem.

“There is a good understanding of spirituality and opportunities for pupils to explore the natural world and their relationship with it are well provided for in the well-landscaped grounds surrounding the school,” Ms Tibbs said.

She said the school was outstanding in meeting the needs of all learners while the impact of collective worship and the effectiveness of leadership and management were also outstanding.

She said there were clear links between collective worship themes and the children’s work which enabled worship messages to extend to all areas of school life.

“Worship is an affirming time when the whole school community can reflect on those things that can be celebrated as well as time to reflect on how to make life better,” she added.

She found that the involvement of pupils in acts of worship had improved since the school’s last inspection, which also saw it rated as outstanding in all areas.

Ms Tibbs said: “The school’s leaders and managers articulate the school’s distinctively Christian vision exceptionally well because they have a shared understanding of how it can best serve the needs of children and families in this community.

“This is clearly articulated and informs the direction the school takes when strategic decisions are made.

“This is particularly evident in the emphasis given to encouraging pupils to appreciate the importance of social justice and forgiveness as set within a Christian understanding.”

She said governors fully supported the Christian ethos and were involved in day to day activities with pupils which gave them a good understanding of school life and enabled them to make informed decisions.

“Parents say that the school’s values help their children develop empathy which makes a difference to the way they treat others.

“The leadership of religious education is effective and RE is very well taught.

“Expectations of pupils’ performance are high and pupils are challenged through the posing of questions that stretch their minds.

“As a result they make excellent progress,” Ms Tibbs said.

She recommended to the school provided greater outdoor opportunities for children to explore their spirituality and said pupils should be more involved in the planning and delivery of collective worship.