Castleton Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 11 October 2022

Castleton Primary School is a safe haven for pupils. Some teachers taught many parents and carers when they were pupils at Castleton themselves. This helps staff in the early years to establish trusting relationships with parents quickly. This partnership helps children to settle happily when they start school. Pupils behave well most of the time. Very occasionally, a few pupils are unkind to others. Staff usually solve the problem completely. Leaders need to make sure that this happens every time. Leaders have introduced a new behaviour policy to help them with this. The diverse pupil population at Castleton helps pupils to learn about different faiths and cultures first hand. Pupils speak more than 30 different languages between them. Pupils are proud to share their cultural heritage with their friends. This helps prepare all pupils well for life in modern Britain. Leaders want the very best for every child. They go above and beyond to give pupils experiences beyond Leeds. Leaders provide lots of opportunities for educational visits that enrich the curriculum. These include residential visits from Year 4 onwards. Leaders even take some pupils away on holiday in August. This broadens pupils' horizons and improves their mental and physical health.

What the school should improve

• Teachers do not follow the Year 1 curriculum for early reading and phonics at the required pace. This slow delivery does not meet the needs of pupils well. Leaders should ensure that Year 1 teachers follow the Year 1 curriculum for early reading and phonics at an effective pace.
• Some pupils do not attend school regularly. The rate of persistent absence is too high. Pupils miss vital learning. Leaders should continue to work with parents to improve pupils' attendance.

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