Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery

Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery continues to demonstrate its commitment to maintaining high standards, as seen in its recent ungraded inspection. The school provides a supportive environment where pupils exhibit strong attributes such as curiosity, resilience, and empathy. The curriculum is well-structured and responsive to the needs of the community, with a strong focus on mental health and well-being. Staff have built positive relationships with students, fostering a safe and inclusive atmosphere where pupils feel empowered to learn and grow.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate excellent behavior and respect towards each other.
• The curriculum is well-sequenced and adapted to meet community needs.
• Strong focus on mental health and well-being intertwined with learning.
• High-quality phonics instruction leading to successful reading outcomes.
• Pupils actively participate in community projects and leadership roles.
• Strong subject knowledge among staff with effective teaching practices.

Areas for Improvement

• The writing curriculum does not provide enough opportunities for developing writing skills.

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 Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery attended 94.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.5% 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, 0.6% of pupils at Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery 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 Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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, 13.6% of pupils at Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.7% 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 Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery received £8,001 and spent £7,982 for each of its 159 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £105,000 (£660 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 Castleford · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

What is Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery have?

Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery has 169 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery cover?

Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 7.

Where is Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery?

Castleford Wheldon Infant School and Nursery is at Francis Street, Castleford, WF10 1HF.