Castleton CofE Primary School

Overview

Castleton C of E Primary School is described as a place with a tangible ‘family feel’ where every pupil is known as an individual. The report highlights a ‘nurturing and caring learning environment’ that pupils and parents value, with relationships based on ‘mutual respect and kindness’. Staff and governors have worked with ‘determination and pace’ to bring about significant improvement since the previous inspection.

Strengths

• Reading is ‘at the heart of the curriculum’, with a well-established phonics programme and staff trained as ‘reading experts’.
• Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified promptly and receive ‘well-considered and targeted help’ to learn successfully alongside peers.
• Personal development aims to build resilience, with pupils learning to ‘recognise and manage feelings’ and understanding that ‘everyone is unique’.
• Governors provide ‘the right support and challenge’ and fulfil their statutory duties well.

Areas to improve

• The curriculum in foundation subjects has not been designed with sufficient consideration for mixed-age classes, meaning learning steps are not ‘logically organised’.
• There is variability in curriculum delivery, where lesson design does not always support pupils to ‘recall prior learning’ or acquire new knowledge effectively.
• Subject leadership for foundation subjects is not yet established, resulting in ‘limited oversight’ of curriculum implementation and impact.

Safeguarding

The report states that ‘the arrangements for safeguarding are effective’.