Castle Hall Academy

Castle Hall Academy is performing well overall, demonstrating significant improvements since joining Impact Education Multi-Academy Trust. This is the school's first inspection under current guidelines, and it has established a strong, inclusive community that fosters an ambitious and high-quality curriculum. The staff's commitment to excellence and the support for pupils contribute positively to their educational experience, and most pupils feel happy and safe here. However, there are concerns regarding attendance, as some pupils are not attending school regularly, which affects their learning opportunities and overall progress.

Strengths

• Staff provide caring support to help pupils achieve their best.
• The school has built a strong and inclusive community.
• Leaders have significantly improved the curriculum since the previous inspection.
• Teaching staff demonstrate strong subject knowledge and clear presentation of information.
• Pupils receive additional support to improve their reading fluency.
• There are extensive opportunities for personal development and pupil responsibilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils do not attend school well enough, limiting their learning.
• Leaders do not share expertise between attendance and SEND areas effectively.

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 Hall Academy attended 91.0% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 29.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 12.2% of pupils at Castle Hall Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Hall Academy had 17.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 22.6% of pupils at Castle Hall Academy were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Castle Hall Academy received £8,210 and spent £8,086 for each of its 831 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £342,000 (£412 per pupil).

Across all 16 schools of Impact Education Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,135 and spending £8,022 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 Mirfield · Kirklees local authority: places and applications

Castle Hall Academy is part of Impact Education Multi Academy Trust, which runs 17 schools. The nearest others:

• Old Bank Academy Mirfield
• Hill View Academy Huddersfield
• Newsome Academy Huddersfield
• Newsome Junior Academy Huddersfield
• Berry Brow Infant and Nursery Academy Huddersfield
• Manor Road Academy Huddersfield
• Hollingwood Academy Bradford
• Farnham Academy Bradford
• Lee Mount Academy Halifax
• Warley Road Primary Academy Halifax

What is Castle Hall Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castle Hall Academy is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Castle Hall Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Castle Hall Academy was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Castle Hall Academy have?

Castle Hall Academy has 863 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castle Hall Academy cover?

Castle Hall Academy for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are Castle Hall Academy's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.1, and 47% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Castle Hall Academy?

Castle Hall Academy is at Richard Thorpe Avenue, Mirfield, West Yorkshire, WF14 9PH.