Castlecroft Primary School

Highlights from Latest Inspection

Summary of key findings for parents and pupils

This is a good school. Pupils make good progress and by the time they leave Year 6 their attainment in English and mathematics is often above the national average.

Teaching is good. Lessons are generally well planned and teachers have high expectations of what pupils should achieve. Children make good progress in the Early Years Foundation Stage, where provision is good.

Children are happy and enjoy a good range of activities both inside and outside the classroom. Well planned and resourced provision for visually impaired pupils, for the disabled and those who have special educational needs ensures they make good progress. Pupils enjoy school and behave well.<...br/>
They are polite and courteous and engage well in their learning. The headteacher, ably supported by his senior team, has quickly established an ambitious vision to drive improvement in the school. Senior leaders, supported by the governing body, have made a concerted effort to improve teaching which is resulting in faster progress and better attainment for pupils.

Governors know the school well and ask challenging questions to ensure that it is continually improving. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Although boys achieve well compared to national averages, they are not achieving as well as girls at the school. Not enough teaching is outstanding.

Some teachers do not always use all the information available about pupils' learning to plan lessons that give each of them challenging work from the start of lessons. Some marking does not give pupils comments about how to improve their work that are precise enough to allow them to make rapid progress.

Information about this school

The school is larger than the average primary school.

The proportion of pupils eligible for support through the pupil premium is below the national average. (The pupil premium gives the school additional funding for particular categories of pupils.) The proportion of disabled pupils and those who have special educational needs supported through school action is below average, but the proportion supported at school action plus or through a statement of special educational needs is well-above average because the school has specially resourced provision for visually impaired pupils.

This provision is for two pupils in each year group. About one in three of the pupils come from minority ethnic backgrounds. The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language is below the national average.

The school meets the government's current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils' attainment and progress in English and mathematics. The school runs a breakfast club for pupils. The current headteacher took up post in September 2013.