Castlethorpe First School

Castlethorpe First School was inspected in May 2025 and was found to be performing exceptionally well in every area looked at. This was the school's first routine inspection since the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was carried out as a graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. Because schools inspected from September 2024 are no longer given a single overall effectiveness grade, the report instead records judgements for each area – the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision – all of which were judged to be of the highest standard, continuing the school's previous outstanding grade from 2020. It is a small infant school of 32 pupils aged 4 to 7 in Milton Keynes, part of the Village School Federation, and the inspector took the pandemic's impact into account when evaluating it. The report paints a picture of a highly nurturing school where pupils arrive enthusiastically, feel very safe and behave impeccably. Children get off to an excellent start in Reception, with a strong focus on communication, language and vocabulary in a rich, stimulating environment. Reading is a particular hallmark: phonics is taught precisely and children quickly become confident, fluent readers. The curriculum is ambitious and expertly delivered, pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified early and well supported to access the full curriculum, and any pupil falling behind is helped to catch up quickly. Attendance is high, personal development provision is exceptional – enriched by visits, visitors, forest school, music and dance – and pupils take on leadership roles such as play leaders. Governors provide strong strategic oversight, staff feel their wellbeing is well looked after, and the federation allows expertise to be shared across schools. No areas for improvement were identified in the report, and the arrangements for safeguarding were found to be effective. Pupils achieve highly and leave exceptionally well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Strengths

• Exceptionally nurturing environment where pupils feel very happy and extremely safe
• School values of 'inspiring learners, growing together' underpin all aspects of school life
• High quality reading provision, with a precisely delivered phonics programme from the start
• Ambitious, vibrant curriculum delivered expertly by staff with strong subject knowledge
• Pupils with SEND are identified quickly and supported extremely effectively to access the full curriculum
• Pupils who fall behind are identified and helped to catch up swiftly
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and impeccable attitudes to learning, with calm and purposeful lunchtimes
• High attendance, with swift support and challenge for families when it slips
• Exceptional personal development provision, including visits, guest speakers, forest school, music and dance
• Excellent early years provision with a strong focus on communication, language and vocabulary
• Pupils develop a commendable sense of character, appreciate diversity and take on leadership roles
• Strong governance providing valuable strategic oversight
• Staff are proud to work at the school, feel their wellbeing is well considered and benefit from federation-wide sharing of expertise
• Effective safeguarding arrangements

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 2023–24 pupils at Castlethorpe First School attended 95.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.5%). 4.2% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 14.6%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Castlethorpe First 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 Castlethorpe First School had 18.2 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, 7.7% of pupils at Castlethorpe First School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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 Castlethorpe First School received £11,060 and spent £11,676 for each of its 39 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £1,000 (-£21 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 Milton Keynes · Milton Keynes local authority: places and applications

What is Castlethorpe First School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castlethorpe First School is Outstanding, from an inspection in June 2025.

When was Castlethorpe First School last inspected by Ofsted?

Castlethorpe First School was last inspected in June 2025.

How many pupils does Castlethorpe First School have?

Castlethorpe First School has 39 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castlethorpe First School cover?

Castlethorpe First School for pupils aged 4 to 7.

Where is Castlethorpe First School?

Castlethorpe First School is at Castlethorpe, Castlethorpe School, Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK19 7EW.