St Michael's Church of England First School
Watery Lane, Minehead, TA24 5NY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 5 to 9
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Church of England
- Trust
- BEACON EDUCATION MAT LTD
- Headteacher
- Mrs Emma Murch
- Diocese
- Diocese of Bath and Wells
- Sponsor
- West Somerset Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Tiverton and Minehead
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 148
- URN
- 142819
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01643702759
About this school
St Michael's Church of England First School is a Church of England primary academy in Minehead. It teaches children aged 5 to 9 and has 148 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 28 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How St Michael's Church of England First School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 148 |
| 2023/24 | 139 |
| 2024/25 | 146 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Michael's Church of England First School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5% | 13.7% | 148 | — |
| Minehead First School | — | 6.3% | 20.6% | 286 | 0.3 miles |
| Dunster First School | — | 7.8% | 18.5% | 86 | 2.2 miles |
| Timberscombe Church of England First School | — | 6% | 21.4% | 28 | 2.7 miles |
| St Dubricius Church of England VA School | — | 5.6% | 10.8% | 90 | 4.9 miles |
| Cutcombe Church of England First School | — | 7.8% | 8.1% | 30 | 5.3 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 13.7%
- English as an additional language
- 9.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.97%
- Persistent absence
- 13.33%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Minehead First School0.3 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Dunster First School2.2 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Timberscombe Church of England First School2.7 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
St Dubricius Church of England VA School4.9 miles
Primary · Minehead
-
Cutcombe Church of England First School5.3 miles
Primary · Minehead
Other schools in Minehead
- Cutcombe Church of England First School Primary
- Dunster First School Primary
- Exford Church of England First School Primary
- Minehead First School Primary
- St Dubricius Church of England VA School Primary
- Timberscombe Church of England First School Primary
- Minehead Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- West Somerset College Secondary
- Aurora Foxes Other types
Common questions
- What year groups does St Michael's Church of England First School teach?
- St Michael's Church of England First School teaches children aged 5 to 9. It is a primary school in Minehead.
- Who is the headteacher of St Michael's Church of England First School?
- The headteacher of St Michael's Church of England First School is Mrs Emma Murch, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Michael's Church of England First School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Michael's Church of England First School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Michael's Church of England First School?
- St Michael's Church of England First School has 148 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 9.
- Is St Michael's Church of England First School full?
- St Michael's Church of England First School has capacity for 150 pupils and 148 on roll (99%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Michael's Church of England First School a faith school?
- Yes. St Michael's Church of England First School is designated Church of England, in the Diocese of Bath and Wells.
- Does St Michael's Church of England First School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Michael's Church of England First School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs St Michael's Church of England First School?
- St Michael's Church of England First School is part of BEACON EDUCATION MAT LTD. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is St Michael's Church of England First School's absence rate?
- St Michael's Church of England First School's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St Michael's Church of England First School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St Michael's Church of England First School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 2 July 2026.