Castleway Primary School

Castleway Primary School is a welcoming, nurturing maintained primary, federated with a nursery school, where pupils—including many who join from other schools—quickly settle into the school’s culture. The school was previously judged to require improvement, and this inspection found it now performing well across all key areas, with no overall effectiveness grade issued under the current framework. Inspectors found an ambitious new curriculum delivered effectively by well-trained staff, strong early reading and phonics, quick identification of SEND, positive behaviour, and a rich personal development offer. Pupils benefit from trips, clubs, music, leadership roles and strong community and family engagement, and safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Welcoming, nurturing culture that helps new pupils settle quickly and supports individuality.
• Ambitious, well-delivered new curriculum with clear knowledge progression.
• Most pupils, including pupils with SEND, achieve well across a broad range of subjects.
• Strong focus on early reading and phonics, with pupils developing a love of reading.
• Quick identification of SEND and effective adaptation for pupils, including those with complex needs.
• Positive behaviour and attitudes, with pupils kind, polite and engaged in lessons.
• Rich personal development offer including trips, clubs, music, leadership roles and outdoor learning.
• Strong family and community engagement, making the school a local hub.
• Effective safeguarding arrangements.
• Governors know the school’s strengths and weaknesses and support staff workload.

Areas for Improvement

• Some older pupils have gaps in knowledge from the previous curriculum, making new learning harder.
• Some key stage 1 pupils lack enough opportunities to apply phonics knowledge in writing, slowing writing fluency.
• 2024 Year 6 attainment in reading, writing and mathematics was significantly below national average, reflecting the previous curriculum and pupil mobility.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Castleway Primary School attended 92.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.4% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 1.8% of pupils at Castleway Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Castleway Primary School had 16.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.1% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 27.7% of pupils at Castleway Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Castleway Primary School received £8,308 and spent £7,444 for each of its 177 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £24,000 (-£136 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Wirral · Wirral local authority: places and applications

What is Castleway Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castleway Primary School is Good, from an inspection in December 2024.

When was Castleway Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Castleway Primary School was last inspected in December 2024.

How many pupils does Castleway Primary School have?

Castleway Primary School has 177 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castleway Primary School cover?

Castleway Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Castleway Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 33% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Castleway Primary School?

Castleway Primary School is at Castleway North, Wirral, Merseyside, CH46 1RN.