Castle View Primary Academy

Highlights from Latest Inspection

What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils do not receive an acceptable quality of education at this school.

The strong start that children make in the early years is not continued beyond the Reception Year. Pupils' academic achievement has suffered as a result. Some older pupils are unhappy about this, because they do not feel prepared for secondary school.

Despite these weaknesses, pupils feel safe and secure here.

The school's expectations for pupils' achievement are too low. This includes pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those who are disadvantaged.

Some pupils receive work that they find too easy, especially in mixed-age classes. The trust has h...elped the school to improve the curriculum. However, these improvements have been enacted too slowly to have had a positive impact, especially for pupils in key stage 2.

By contrast, expectations for children in the early years are higher. These children thrive and learn successfully.

Most pupils follow the school's rules and behave well.

However, a small number are, on occasions, inconsiderate of the needs and feelings of others. When this happens, it spoils the enjoyment of other pupils, for example, at breaktimes or lunchtimes.

Pupils appreciate the activities that the school provides for their wider development, such as sports clubs.

However, others wish that there were more opportunities for other interests, such as crafts. Some pupils lack the confidence to participate fully in discussions with others. This makes it more difficult for them to share their thoughts and ideas.

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

The school has suffered a lengthy period of turbulence in leadership and staffing. This has slowed its work to improve the quality of education for pupils. The trust has recently reinforced the school's leadership.

There are signs that things are beginning to improve. However, it is too early to see a positive impact on pupils' achievement.

The trust has supported the school to put in place a broad and ambitious curriculum.

However, this ambition is not realised because teaching often expects too little of pupils. Many pupils did not reach an appropriate standard in English or mathematics by the time that they left Year 6 in 2024. This left them inadequately prepared for the next stage in their education.

The school has not thought carefully enough about how pupils in mixed-age classes should learn the curriculum. In too many subjects, younger pupils do not have the prior knowledge that they need in order to understand some of the learning that they receive. Older pupils frequently receive work that is too easy for them.

This prevents pupils from developing a solid body of knowledge, and from deepening their understanding over time.

On occasions, in lessons, staff do not check thoroughly that pupils have fully understood the knowledge that they are learning. Instead, pupils' misconceptions sometimes go unaddressed.

Furthermore, in some subjects, the school has not ensured that information from assessments is used quickly enough to identify when pupils may have missing knowledge, for example, when they have been absent. These weaknesses mean that pupils' knowledge is sometimes insecure.

The school has made the teaching of reading a priority.

For example, pupils are provided with a wide range of interesting books to read. Parents and carers receive useful information about reading that helps them to support their child with reading at home. Many pupils enjoy reading.

In the early years, staff use their strong subject knowledge to teach the phonics programme effectively. Children learn to break down and build up the sounds in words in order to read and to write successfully. However, as pupils move into key stage 1, there are inconsistencies in the way that the phonics programme is taught.

For example, on occasions, staff do not model sounds correctly to pupils. Pupils repeat the errors that they hear. This limits pupils' ability to blend sounds successfully in order to read well.

The trust has strengthened the way that the school identifies pupils who may have SEND. However, work to improve the adaptations that staff make for these pupils is at an early stage. Pupils with SEND suffer from the same low expectations that the school has for other pupils.

They typically achieve less well than they should.

Some pupils lose focus in lessons, when learning does not successfully engage their interest. On occasions, this can distract others from their learning.

However, many pupils behave as they should in lessons. Outside of lessons, such as at break and lunchtime, pupils' behaviour is variable. The school is working successfully to improve pupils' attendance over time.

Pupils learn about a range of world faiths and cultures. The personal, social, health education curriculum supports pupils' understanding of how to stay safe, for example, when working online, or when playing near the local canal. A small number of pupils have recently engaged in a project to develop their oracy skills.

However, the school does not provide enough opportunities for pupils to share their thoughts, views and ideas with others. This sometimes limits their confidence in discussions.

The trust and leaders take account of the impact of their decisions on the workload of staff.

Staff appreciate leaders' concern for their 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)

• Pupils, including those with SEND, do not achieve as well as they should in a range of subjects, including in English and mathematics.

Many pupils are unable to read, write and/or apply mathematics at an age-appropriate level. This is because the expectations of what pupils can and should be able to do in lessons are too low. The school and the trust must take swift and effective action to ensure that expectations for pupils are raised rapidly, so that the achievement of all pupils, including those with SEND, is of an acceptable standard.

• Pupils' experiences in lessons do not effectively support their learning of the school's curriculum. In particular, the school has not ensured that the curriculum enables pupils in mixed-age classes to build upon what they know and can do. Younger pupils have not had time to develop the knowledge that they need to tackle some tasks.

Older pupils receive work that is too easy for them. As a result, pupils are poorly prepared for the next stages of their education. The school should revisit the school's curriculum, ensuring that it takes sufficient account of the learning needs of pupils in mixed-age classes.

• There are too many inconsistencies in the implementation of the phonics programme for pupils in key stage 1. Pupils do not receive the effective guidance that they need to say some sounds correctly. This hampers their ability to blend sounds together in order to read words.

This weakness limits the progress that pupils make across a range of subjects. The school should ensure that staff are fully supported to ensure that the school's phonics programme is delivered consistently and effectively. ? On occasions, staff do not check thoroughly enough that pupils have understood new learning before moving on to the next learning.

This makes it difficult to identify and address any misconceptions or missing knowledge. The school should set clear expectations for how pupils' knowledge is to be checked so that it is secure. ? The behaviour of some pupils, on occasions, is inconsiderate of the needs of others.

When this happens, some pupils feel that their enjoyment of school activities, such as outdoor play and lunchtime, is limited. The school should take effective action to ensure that all staff set sufficiently high expectations for pupils' behaviour, so that all pupils can feel safe and happy during the school day. ? The school is at an early stage in implementing its programme for pupils' wider development.

This means that pupils have a limited range of activities to develop talents and interests beyond the academic. Some pupils lack the confidence that they need to express their views clearly, for example, in discussions. The school should now ensure that its programme for pupils' personal development is implemented quickly and effectively, so that pupils are appropriately prepared for future life.