Ark Castledown Primary Academy

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is a highly inclusive school that is performing strongly overall. Inclusion is exceptional, all other inspected areas are strong standard, and safeguarding standards are met. Pupils thrive, feel safe and have a strong sense of belonging; behaviour is extremely positive and bullying is rare. The school is particularly effective at identifying and removing barriers for pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and pupils who join partway through the year. The curriculum is ambitious and taught consistently well, with a strong emphasis on communication and language from the early years. Outcomes are above average, including phonics and combined reading, writing and mathematics at the end of key stage 2, and disadvantaged pupils attain above national averages. Early years provision is strong, personal development is thoughtful and wide-ranging, and leadership and governance are highly effective, with strong support from the ARK Schools trust. The main area for continued focus is attendance. The school's work to improve attendance is effective and persistent absence is reducing, but overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages. Sustaining high attendance for all pupils is the agreed next step.

Strengths

• Extremely inclusive provision with a profound sense of belonging for all pupils
• Rapid identification and expert support for pupils with SEND
• Highly effective use of pupil premium to remove barriers to achievement and belonging
• Strong achievement, including above-average phonics and key stage 2 combined outcomes
• Disadvantaged pupils attain above national averages
• Highly effective work to promote regular attendance and positive behaviour
• Pupils behave with integrity and bullying is rare
• Ambitious curriculum across all subjects with a strong communication and language focus
• Precise and highly effective phonics and mathematics teaching
• Strong early years provision with high-quality interactions and purposeful activities
• Well-designed personal development programme with rich cultural, sporting and wider opportunities
• Strong leadership, governance and trust support with reflective practice
• Staff feel very well supported with workload and wellbeing

Areas for Improvement

• Overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages, and sustaining high attendance for all pupils is the agreed next step

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 Ark Castledown Primary Academy attended 93.6% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 19.3% 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, 0.0% of pupils at Ark Castledown Primary Academy 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 Ark Castledown Primary Academy had 24.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.9% 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, 18.1% of pupils at Ark Castledown Primary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.2% 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 2024–25 Ark Castledown Primary Academy received £7,381 and spent £6,798 for each of its 396 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £833,000 (£2,105 per pupil).

Across all 48 schools of Ark Schools, income was £9,191 and spending £9,015 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 Hastings · East Sussex local authority: places and applications

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is part of Ark Schools, which runs 48 schools. The nearest others:

• Ark Blacklands Primary Academy Hastings
• Ark Alexandra Academy Hastings
• Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy St Leonards-On-Sea
• Ark Oval Primary Academy Croydon
• Ark Blake Academy Croydon
• Ark Greenwich Free School London
• Ark Evelyn Grace Academy London
• Ark Walworth Academy London
• Ark All Saints Academy London
• Ark Bolingbroke Academy London

What is Ark Castledown Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Ark Castledown Primary Academy is Strong standard, from an inspection in January 2026.

When was Ark Castledown Primary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Ark Castledown Primary Academy was last inspected in January 2026.

How many pupils does Ark Castledown Primary Academy have?

Ark Castledown Primary Academy has 403 pupils on roll.

What age range does Ark Castledown Primary Academy cover?

Ark Castledown Primary Academy for pupils aged 2 to 11.

What are Ark Castledown Primary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Ark Castledown Primary Academy?

Ark Castledown Primary Academy is at Priory Road, Hastings, East Sussex, TN34 3QT.