Castle Mead School

Castle Mead School is performing well overall, rated as good across all domains including the quality of education and leadership. The school is recognized for its inclusive environment and the strong relationships between pupils and staff, which foster a positive atmosphere for learning. With a focus on reading and personal development, pupils are encouraged to engage in a variety of enriching activities, building their confidence and leadership skills. The school has effectively created a curriculum that promotes knowledge application in various subjects, although there are challenges in accurately addressing student misunderstandings during lessons.

Strengths

• Positive and respectful relationships between pupils and staff.
• Ambitious and well-structured curriculum.
• Strong emphasis on reading and fluency from an early age.
• Well-supported pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities.
• Rich extra-curricular opportunities that enhance personal development.
• Effective safeguarding procedures and clear staff training.

Areas for Improvement

• Teaching does not always address pupils’ misconceptions as they arise.

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 Castle Mead School attended 94.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 11.7% 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, 1.6% of pupils at Castle Mead 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 Castle Mead School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 16.1% 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, 22.4% of pupils at Castle Mead School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 16.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 36 pupils.

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 2024–25 Castle Mead School received £8,775 and spent £8,420 for each of its 362 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £282,000 (£778 per pupil).

Across all 19 schools of Equa Mead Learning Trust, income was £7,956 and spending £7,893 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Trowbridge · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Castle Mead School is part of Equa Mead Learning Trust, which runs 22 schools. The nearest others:

• The Mead Community Primary School Trowbridge
• Paxcroft Primary School Trowbridge
• Bellefield Primary and Nursery School Trowbridge
• The John of Gaunt School Trowbridge
• The Grove Primary School Trowbridge
• North Bradley CofE Primary School Trowbridge
• Studley Green Primary School Trowbridge
• Southwick Church of England Primary School Trowbridge
• River Mead School Melksham
• Five Lanes Church of England Primary School Devizes

What is Castle Mead School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castle Mead School is Good, from an inspection in May 2023.

When was Castle Mead School last inspected by Ofsted?

Castle Mead School was last inspected in May 2023.

How many pupils does Castle Mead School have?

Castle Mead School has 357 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castle Mead School cover?

Castle Mead School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Castle Mead School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Castle Mead School?

Castle Mead School is at Mascroft Road, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 6GD.