Castleford Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 28 January 2025

This is a school that has high ambitions for and expectations of pupils. Pupils are taught to be 'ready, respectful and safe' and aspire to reach their maximum potential. Pupils realise these expectations and achieve highly across most subjects. The school is welcoming to all pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Pupils have mature attitudes to learning. They are studious in lessons. Most pupils feel happy and have positive relationships with staff. Pupils move around the school site calmly and follow routines well. Bullying is rare and is dealt with quickly should it occur. Pupils are unanimous in their view that they feel safe and have trusted adults to speak to at the school. Pupils enjoy a huge range of diverse extra-curricular and enrichment experiences. For example, pupils participate in a soul band, eco-club, trampolining, book worms and British Sign Language clubs. The school is to be commended for ensuring that all pupils are encouraged to participate in new activities. Pupil leaders are very enthusiastic about their responsibilities. They are proud of changes they have made to the school and the support they provide to the wider community. Prefects describe how rewarding it has been to organise a charity colour run and debate which charities to support.

What the school should improve

• At times, the school does not ensure that teachers set work that is understood by pupils or that checks of pupils' understanding are effective. This limits how well pupils secure important knowledge in their long-term memory. The school should ensure that staff help pupils to know and remember their learning and check for any gaps in their understanding.

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