Castlefield School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 8 May 2024

Parents and pupils describe Castlefield as a 'wonderful place to learn'. Staff have created an ambitious and inclusive environment. Pupils are happy and achieve well. Children make a strong start to their school life in the Reception class. This high level of care and support continues throughout the school. Both pupils and staff live by the school's building blocks of 'learning for life', 'experience and enrichment' and 'no excuses'. Teachers know pupils well. They have high expectations of what pupils can learn and how they need to behave. The youngest pupils settle quickly. They learn in a secure and safe environment, gaining confidence and making friends easily. Pupils enjoy their learning, behave well and work hard in lessons. Pupils have many opportunities to discuss their learning. They say this helps them to think for themselves. Pupil leaders make an effective and positive contribution to the school community. These include roles such as play leaders and peer mentors. Peer mentors are trained so that they can help other children sort out their disagreements during play times. These opportunities develop pupils' resilience and compassion.

What the school should improve

• In some lessons, staff do not check what pupils have learned and understood carefully enough. This means that some pupils' misconceptions are not always being identified And as quickly as they could be. Leaders must ensure that staff check pupils' understanding and address any gaps in pupils' knowledge effectively across the whole curriculum.

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