Castle School, Cambridge
| Type | Special School / Community special school |
| Age Range | 2-19 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Courtney Way Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB4 2EE |
| Phone | 01223442400 |
| Reference Number | 134972 |
Castle School in Cambridge is currently rated as requiring improvement overall, despite notable strengths in behaviour, personal development, and leadership. The school provides a nurturing environment where pupils feel welcomed and valued. Many students are beginning to learn well due to the redesigned curriculum, especially in English and mathematics, where teaching practices are improving. However, there are concerns about the effectiveness of the reading curriculum in the secondary phase, which does not fully support comprehension skills necessary for broader academic success. Leaders have high aspirations for all pupils, but they face challenges in embedding changes across the entire curriculum efficiently and consistently.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 235 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 67.23%
Girls: 32.77% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 45.4% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 20.9% |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | 1 | 8 |
| 2 | 10 | 5 | 15 |
| 3 | 6 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| 5 | 13 | 5 | 18 |
| 6 | 14 | 9 | 23 |
| 7 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| 8 | 16 | 11 | 27 |
| 9 | 17 | 8 | 25 |
| 10 | 11 | 5 | 16 |
| 11 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| 12 | 16 | 2 | 18 |
| 13 | 15 | 9 | 24 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 58.3% |
| White, Other | 8.9% |
| Unclassified | 3.8% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 3% |
| African | 3% |
| White & Asian | 2.6% |
| Asian, Other | 2.6% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.1% |
| Pakistani | 2.1% |
| Indian | 1.7% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.7% |
| Chinese | 0.9% |
| Irish | 0.4% |
| Caribbean | 0.4% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Requires Improvement |
| > Quality of education | Requires Improvement |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Good |
| > Personal Development | Good |
| > Leadership & Management | Good |
| > Early Years Provision | Good |
| > Sixth Form Provision | Good |
| Last Report Date | 14 May 2024 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 14 May 2024 | School inspection: |
| 16 May 2023 | School inspection |
| 27 Jun 2017 | Short inspection |
| 03 Dec 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 16 Sep 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 15 Jan 2008 | Full inspection: |
Strengths
- Pupils enjoy attending school and feel valued.
- The school has a nurturing environment catering to individual needs.
- Behaviour is good, with pupils focusing well in lessons.
- The leadership team has a renewed sense of aspiration for pupil achievement.
- The curriculum redesign has positively impacted early reading and mathematics.
- Pupils develop independence through a comprehensive enrichment offer.
Areas for Improvement
- The quality of education is inconsistent, requiring improvement.
- Reading instruction in the secondary phase lacks development in comprehension skills.
- Some teachers are unclear on the specifics of the new curriculum.
- Curriculum implementation is still in early stages, causing gaps in knowledge.
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
- English
- Maths
- 3 subjects from qualifications that count towards the English Baccalaureate (EBacc), like sciences, language and history
- 3 more GCSE qualifications (including EBacc subjects) or technical awards from a list approved by the Department for Education
Each grade a pupil gets is assigned a point score from 9 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). These scores are added up, with English and maths counted twice.
| School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 0.2 |
GCSE Results
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | ||
| 5 or more GCSEs at grade 9-4 (or A-C) | 0% |
Attainment 8 Score
Attaimenment 8 is a measure of a pupil's average grade across a set of 8 subjects. The 8 subjects which make up Attainment 8 are:
Sample
UnlockGCSE Results
Sample
UnlockHow many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 0% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 0% |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 88 | ||
| Maths | 85 |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -3.5 | ||
| Writing | -3 | ||
| Maths | -3.9 |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
UnlockUnlock Premium
Get percentile rankings, historic result charts, admissions data, and post-GCSE destinations for every school.
£9.99 one-off payment. Lifetime access, no subscription.
Unlock for £9.99Destinations after GCSE's
| Staying in Education | |
| > Further Education | |
| > School Sixth Form | |
| > Sixth Form College | |
| > Other Education | |
| Apprenticeships | |
| Employment | |
| Not in education or employment | |
| Unknown |
| Name | Distance |
|
Milton Road Primary School
Ascham Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2BD |
0.19 miles |
|
Arbury Primary School
Carlton Way, Arbury Primary School, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2DE |
0.26 miles |
|
St Luke's CofE Primary School
Frenchs Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 3JZ |
0.42 miles |
|
Colleges Nursery School
Campkin Road, Cambridge, CB4 2LD |
0.53 miles |
|
Mayfield Primary School
Warwick Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 3HN |
0.66 miles |
|
The Grove Primary School
Campkin Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2NB |
0.67 miles |
|
Park Street CofE Primary School
Lower Park Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB5 8AR |
0.69 miles |
|
St Laurence Catholic Primary School
Arbury Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2JX |
0.79 miles |
|
Kings Hedges Primary School
Northfield Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2HU |
0.92 miles |
|
King's Hedges Nursery School
Northfield Avenue, Cambridge, CB4 2HU |
0.92 miles |
|
Chesterton Primary School
Green End Road, Chesterton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 1RW |
0.98 miles |
|
St John's College School
73 Grange Road, Cambridge, CB3 9AB |
1.02 miles |
|
Orchard Park Community Primary School
Ringfort Road, Orchard Park, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2GR |
1.03 miles |
|
Brunswick Nursery School
Young Street, Cambridge, CB1 2LZ |
1.07 miles |
|
St Matthew's Primary School
19 Norfolk Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 2LD |
1.12 miles |
|
Shirley Community Primary School
Nuffield Road, Chesterton, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 1TF |
1.21 miles |
|
University of Cambridge Primary School
Eddington Avenue, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 0QZ |
1.32 miles |
|
St Alban's Catholic Primary School
Lensfield Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1EN |
1.49 miles |
|
St Pauls CofE VA Primary School
Coronation Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1HJ |
1.59 miles |
|
Newnham Croft Primary School
Chedworth Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB3 9JF |
1.78 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Chesterton Community College
Gilbert Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 3NY |
0.21 miles |
|
North Cambridge Academy
Arbury Road, Kings Hedges, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2JF |
0.52 miles |
|
Cambridge Arts and Sciences (CATS and CSVPA)
1 High Street, Cambridge, CB4 1NQ |
0.52 miles |
|
Parkside Community College
Parkside, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 1EH |
1.06 miles |
|
Cambridge Regional College
Science Park Campus, Kings Hedges Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB4 2QT |
1.16 miles |
|
King's College School
West Road, Cambridge, CB3 9DN |
1.31 miles |
|
Cardiff Sixth Form College, Cambridge
89 Regent Street, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 2AW |
1.35 miles |
|
Sancton Wood School
|
1.5 miles |
|
The Leys School
Trumpington Road, Cambridge, CB2 7AD |
1.56 miles |
|
Cambridge Maths School
119 Mill Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 2AZ |
1.56 miles |
|
The Stephen Perse Foundation
|
1.57 miles |
|
Heritage School
17 - 19 Brookside, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1JE |
1.58 miles |
|
Mander Portman Woodward
3-4 Brookside, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 1JE |
1.66 miles |
|
St Mary's School
Bateman Street, cambridge, CB2 1LY |
1.7 miles |
|
St. Andrew's College Cambridge
13 Station Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 2JB |
1.71 miles |
|
The Cavendish School
Park Drive, Impington, CB24 9LY |
1.84 miles |
|
Impington Village College
New Road, Impington, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB24 9LX |
1.97 miles |
|
Cambridge Muslim Secondary School
Cqc, Radegund Road, Cambridge, CB1 3RH |
2.15 miles |
|
Coleridge Community College
Radegund Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB1 3RJ |
2.2 miles |
|
Hills Road Sixth Form College
Hills Road, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, CB2 8PE |
2.23 miles |