Castilion Primary School

Castilion Primary School is a kind, welcoming and inclusive school where pupils behave well, attendance is above the national average, and safeguarding standards are met. Most areas of provision are judged to meet the expected standard, including behaviour and attendance, curriculum and teaching, early years, inclusion, leadership and governance, and personal development. Leaders have driven a rapid improvement journey in recent years, revising the curriculum for mixed-age classes and strengthening reading, writing and mathematics. The main concern is achievement. Pupils' outcomes in national tests have been below the national average for three years, particularly in writing and the combined reading, writing and mathematics measure, and too many pupils are not ready for the next stage of their learning. A significant number of pupils do not meet the required phonics standard by the end of Year 1, and support for some pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, needs to be more precise. Inspectors also noted that misconceptions and gaps are occasionally not picked up quickly enough, and that professional development is not always implemented precisely. The school is part of the Amadeus Primary Academy Trust, and trust leaders, trustees and governors have a secure understanding of its strengths and development areas. Disadvantaged pupils' outcomes improved strongly in the latest year, with above-national averages in key stage 2 tests, and leaders are ambitious for all pupils.

Strengths

• Pupils behave well, are attentive in lessons and treat each other with kindness and respect.
• Attendance is above the national average and improving, with bespoke support for families.
• Leaders have built a broad, sequenced curriculum and revised it for mixed-age classes.
• Phonics teaching is consistent, with reading books matched to pupils' levels.
• Pupils with SEND receive tailored support and typically access the same curriculum as their peers.
• Early years provision prioritises language and communication and prepares children well for Year 1.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieved above national averages in last year's key stage 2 tests.
• Personal development is strong, with respect, diversity and British values threaded through school life.
• Leadership, governance and trust oversight are effective and ambitious.
• Pupils feel safe, and serious behaviour incidents have reduced significantly.

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils' outcomes in national tests have been below the national average for three years.
• Too many pupils are not ready for the next stage in their learning.
• A significant number of pupils do not meet the required phonics standard by the end of Year 1.
• Support for some pupils, including those with SEND, is not precise enough in phonics.
• Too many pupils do not meet the expected standard in writing in key stage 2.
• Pupils' misconceptions and gaps in knowledge are occasionally not picked up quickly enough.
• Professional development is not always implemented precisely, which affects pupils' experiences.
• Combined reading, writing and mathematics outcomes remain below the national average.

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 Castilion Primary School attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.6% 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, 6.8% of pupils at Castilion Primary 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 Castilion Primary School had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 39.7% 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, 18.9% of pupils at Castilion Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 6.9% 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 Castilion Primary School received £9,781 and spent £9,308 for each of its 220 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £58,000 (£264 per pupil).

Across all 6 schools of Amadeus Primary Academies Trust, income was £7,434 and spending £7,521 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 Bexley · Bexley local authority: places and applications

Castilion Primary School is part of Amadeus Primary Academies Trust, which runs 6 schools. The nearest others:

• Hillsgrove Primary School Welling
• St Paulinus Church of England Primary School Dartford
• Old Bexley Church of England School Bexley
• Holy Trinity Lamorbey Church of England School Sidcup
• St Paul's Cray Church of England Primary School Orpington

What is Castilion Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Castilion Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in February 2026.

When was Castilion Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Castilion Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Castilion Primary School have?

Castilion Primary School has 159 pupils on roll.

What age range does Castilion Primary School cover?

Castilion Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Castilion Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 53% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Castilion Primary School?

Castilion Primary School is at Copperfield Road, Thamesmead, London, SE28 8QA.