Castle School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Castle School has created a warm and welcoming learning environment, where pupils thrive. The school is highly ambitious for all its pupils.

As a result, pupils believe they can do anything they set their mind to. They consequently work hard in their lessons and make good progress from their individual starting points.

Parents appreciate that staff know how best to support their child, both academically and pastorally.

Pupils' special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) are well understood and supported.

Staff actively model how they want pupils to behave. Tolerance and respect underpin all these interactions.

Pupils respond well to... this approach and, as a result, their behaviour is exemplary. On the rare occasions that pupils get upset, they quickly bounce back with the help of the schools' highly effective pastoral team.

The schools' personal development programme is outstanding.

Pupils really enjoy learning in their community. Through this work, they develop a greater understanding of the opportunities and risks posed by life in modern Britain.

The 'Castlefest' music festival is a highlight of the school year for pupils and parents.

This helps pupils build their resilience to being in large social settings. Sixth-form students are particularly well prepared for their next steps into education and/or training. They greatly benefit from weekly college visits.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school works effectively with partner agencies to keep staff special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) knowledge and expertise up to date. As a result, each pupil's SEND is quickly identified and understood. This means that pupils get the right provision immediately put in place for them.

As part of the transition programme into school, pupils of all ages are given the right tools to be able to communicate their wants and needs effectively.

Some pupils have medical needs that impact on their attendance at school. The school ensures that when these pupils return, they get high-quality therapeutic support so that they can quickly settle back into their learning.

This reduces the anxiety of both parents and pupils.

The curriculum excites and motivates pupils to learn well. The school has made sure that its content is relevant to pupils in this school.

Learning is brought to life through the practical application of ideas wherever possible. With the exception of aspects of the writing curriculum, subject knowledge is clearly defined and sequenced so that pupils encounter this in a logical order. This means that pupils can build and deepen their understanding of subjects securely over time.

By the time pupils leave school, they have secured useful awards, certificates and qualifications needed for their next steps into education and/or training.Reading is a school priority. Those pupils who are at the early stages of learning to read receive appropriate support.

This means that they make rapid progress in their ability to read with accuracy and fluency. Good-quality texts form the backbone of the English curriculum. For example, older pupils enjoy learning about 'Of Mice and Men'.

Through this, they develop a love of reading in genres which are initially unfamiliar to them.

The school has a keen interest in growing staff into subject leadership roles. Subject leaders have the appropriate subject knowledge to lead their chosen subjects.

However, as yet, they do not all sufficiently check to find out if, or how well, teachers are implementing all aspects of the academic curriculum as the school intends. This means that they cannot identify and support teachers who may benefit from their expertise. As a result, not all pupils are securely learning the important knowledge in every subject in a way that helps them best.

The school's personal development provision is exemplary. There is a plethora of opportunities for pupils to build their confidence, independence and their social and life skills. Pupils develop their talents and interests.

Some are proud to represent the school at community singing events. Sixth-form students enjoy helping younger pupils at breaktimes.

The school ensures that pupils' preparation for adulthood runs as a golden thread through the curriculum.

This focus means that pupils get to helpfully practise life skills, such as money management and travel safety. Pupils learn to understand about healthy and unhealthy relationships and about speaking up and giving consent.

Provision for careers education is strong in all phases.

Partnerships with employers, and post-16 education and training providers, are well established. Older students undertake work experience opportunities that are well matched to their intended destinations. Transition plans to next steps for sixth-form students are excellent.

Governors are highly supportive of the school and fulfil their statutory duties effectively. Staff are positive about leaders' support of their workload and well-being.

Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

What does the school need to do to improve?

(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

• In key stage 2 and key stage 3, the component knowledge of the writing curriculum does not build on pupils' previous learning in a clear, sequential way. This limits pupils' ability to build their knowledge and skills over time and to develop their writing stamina and fluency. Leaders should ensure that their writing curriculum is well sequenced across the whole school and that teachers have the expertise to implement this well, so that all pupils achieve well.

• Some subject leadership does not have sufficient oversight of curriculum implementation to provide the right support for staff and strengthen pedagogy, where needed. As a result, in a few subjects some pupils do not learn as well as they could. The school should ensure that subject leadership has effective oversight of curriculum implementation and uses this knowledge to secure continued improvements.

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