Castle Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 20 June 2023

Castle Primary is a friendly and welcoming school. Relationships between adults, pupils and their families are positive. Leaders create a nurturing environment. Parents, pupils and staff believe that there is a real community feel to the school. One parent's comment was typical of many when they stated, 'With it being such a small school, staff know all of the pupils well.' Pupils feel cared for, valued and safe. Leaders have high expectations of pupils. Pupils rise to these expectations and trust staff to help them with any worries that they may have. Pupils behave well during lessons, when moving around the school and at playtimes. They are polite and well mannered. They look after each other. Older pupils support younger ones, both at playtimes and in their learning. This promotes the caring ethos of the school. On the very rare occasion that bullying happens, pupils know adults will deal with it quickly. Pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities that enrich the curriculum. These opportunities promote pupils' confidence and sense of responsibility. For instance, some pupils act as team leaders and school councillors. Pupils take pride in this work and take these duties seriously.

What the school should improve

• In a small number of subjects, leaders have not defined the precise knowledge that they want pupils to learn. Consequently, pupils do not learn as well as they could. Leaders should ensure that they identify and sequence the important knowledge that they want pupils to learn in these subjects.
• In some subjects, leaders are new to their roles and have not evaluated the impact of the curriculum. They do not have a full understanding of how well pupils learn in these subjects. Senior leaders should work with subject leaders to monitor what pupils know and remember in these subjects.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)