Schools & FE · Report card

Castle Academy

Inspected 6 May 2026 · published 29 Jun 2026 · URN 140362

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Summary

No overall grade in this frameworkSafeguarding met

Claire Stylianides (lead), Joanna Hall, Katie Towers, Louise Aird

What we read, and from where

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Achievement verified
Expected standard
Attendance and behaviour verified
Strong standard
Curriculum and teaching verified
Expected standard
Early years verified
Expected standard
Inclusion verified
Expected standard
Leadership and governance verified
Expected standard
Personal development and wellbeing verified
Strong standard
Framework verified
Report card
Inspection datesingle source
6 May 2026
Inspectors verified
Claire Stylianides, Joanna Hall, Katie Towers, Louise Aird
Postcode verified
NN1 2TR
Name on report verified
Castle Academy
Safeguarding verified
Met
URN verified
140362

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Deep dive

What this report says

In plain English

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Grade profile

Each judgement on its scale, weakest to strongest.

AchievementExpected
Attendance and behaviourStrong
Curriculum and teachingExpected
Early yearsExpected
InclusionExpected
Leadership and governanceExpected
Personal development and wellbeingStrong

Tone of the report

How positive or critical the inspectors' language is, from the words they chose. No AI involved.

+76Very positivemore positive than 57% of reports of this type

In line with other reports of this type.

Praiseeffectiveeffectivelyhigh-qualityambitiousconsistentlythrivepositivehighly effective

Criticismconcernslacklackspersistent absencegapslimitedabsencelower

How the report reads, start to finish

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FindingsSafeguardingAbout the inspectionLeadershipWhat needs to improve positive critical

Findings1544w+76
Leadership257w+83
Safeguarding51w−11
What needs to improve72w+58

Strengths

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Concerns

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No strong criticism found.

Next steps

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What the report dwells on

Topics by how often they come up, coloured by how they are described. Open one for an example.

Anatomy of the report

How the report is built, against others of the same type and grade.

Pages: 16
Words of findings: 1,924; about usual (typical 1698)
Reading level: Hard; Flesch 38, typical 43
Average sentence: 13 words
Next steps: 3; typical 3
Hedged sentences: 2%; “some”, “not always”, “most”…

Where the words go

Findings 51%Leadership 8%Safeguarding 2%What needs to improve 2%About the inspection 37%

Full report text

Castle Academy

Address: St George's Street, Northampton, Northamptonshire, NN1 2TR Unique reference number (URN): 140362

p.1

Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

p.1

How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

p.1

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders and staff continually foster the importance of regular attendance. They monitor pupils’ levels of attendance very closely and take prompt action to address any concerns. Trained staff have supportive but challenging conversations with families to understand any barriers to attendance. They provide pupils and families with effective support. As a result, more pupils attend school regularly. Absence rates, particularly for persistent absence, are consistently lower than the national average for all groups of pupils. Leaders have secured notable improvements in the attendance of individual pupils. Attendance rates fare very well in comparison with schools that have a similar context.

p.2

Attendance and behaviour Strong standard

Leaders' expectations of pupils’ behaviour are consistently high. The school has a calm environment that is highly conducive to learning, enabling all pupils to thrive. Pupils work hard with immense enthusiasm. Older pupils are positive role models for their younger peers, showing dedication to learning. Pupils of all ages have great self-control, including at play and lunchtimes. They treat one another with genuine respect and consideration. Staff provide tailored support for pupils who find it challenging to follow the school’s expectations. They use a range of strategies to help pupils manage their emotions. Bullying or discrimination hardly ever happens. When rare incidents do occur, staff address them promptly and effectively.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Leaders provide incredibly well for pupils' wider development. The personal development programme is extensive and thoughtfully in tune with the school’s community. It has a deep impact on pupils’ wellbeing and their aspirations for their future lives.

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Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

The personal, social, health and economic curriculum is highly effective. Pupils learn about potential risks in the local community and how to stay safe, including when using online technology. They understand the importance of their physical and mental health, along with developing an age-appropriate understanding of safe and positive relationships. Pupils speak confidently about banter, consent and respect for personal boundaries. High-quality wellbeing support threads through all of the school’s work. Leaders keep a constant eye on pupils’ vulnerabilities and emotional wellbeing. They ensure that pupils quickly receive effective support from trained staff when necessary. As a result, pupils feel comfortable, secure and listened to.

p.2

Personal development and wellbeing Strong standard

Pupils learn about local issues, such as crime and littering, which helps them to develop their notion of responsible citizenship. They recognise the importance and gain a secure understanding of fundamental British values. Pupils' leadership roles help bring to life the rule of law, individual liberty, tolerance and mutual respect. As pupil parliament representatives, eco-committee members and anti-bullying ambassadors, pupils see democracy in action. They talk impressively about cultural and religious diversity in modern Britain. Pupils respect and celebrate the differences throughout their school community. They understand how discrimination can arise and how it should be tackled.

p.2

Expected standard

Pupils broaden their horizons and develop their talents and interests through a rich range of opportunities. These include visits and visitors, musical activities, drama, sports events and activity clubs. Leaders track pupils' participation closely and make adaptations to prioritise vulnerable pupils’ access. Leaders provide carefully tailored experiences for pupils in the specially resourced provision for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities, ensuring that all pupils thrive.

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Achievement Expected standard

Despite the challenges of the school’s context, pupils attain in line with national averages by the end of Year 6. Pupils who joined the school at the start of their education, in the Reception Year, generally reach the expected standards. Disadvantaged pupils also attain at least in line with national comparisons, preparing them well for secondary school.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils achieve especially well in mathematics, following improvements in the curriculum. Leaders are building on this by developing pupils’ reasoning skills further, so that more pupils reach higher standards. They are strengthening pupils’ achievement in reading too, starting with phonics. Pupils generally secure this important knowledge. Leaders' recent improvements have helped to accelerate pupils' progress.

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Achievement Expected standard

Typically, pupils develop secure knowledge and skills across the curriculum. They demonstrate this in their recall of learning and vocabulary and the work they produce. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make suitable progress from their starting points overall.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The school’s ambitious curriculum is impressive and well designed for all subjects. It enables pupils to build knowledge logically over time. Staff emphasise the key 'rocket words' that pupils should know to help secure their understanding of the concepts and topics they learn about. Leaders have a well-considered approach for teaching the curriculum, which staff adopt effectively overall. Staff provide opportunities for pupils to revisit prior learning to ensure that they build on what they already know and can do. Staff explain new learning clearly and guide pupils closely when they practise using this knowledge. Staff check pupils’ understanding and provide helpful feedback to address misconceptions. Leaders have an astute understanding of how effectively staff deliver the curriculum. They coach staff to further develop their expertise when necessary.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Leaders prioritise pupils securing important knowledge of language, phonics, reading, writing and mathematics. They continually strengthen the curriculum and teaching in these areas. Staff provide largely effective support to close gaps in pupils' knowledge quickly. They adapt the curriculum and teaching to reduce pupils’ barriers to learning, including for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities. For some pupils, adaptations occasionally lack precision. Sometimes, additional support through group work hinders rather than helps pupils' learning.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders place great importance on children having the right start to their education in the early years. Many children arrive with limited communication and language skills, so leaders address this as a priority. Staff help children to quickly develop security and belonging through warm, nurturing relationships. Routines and aiming to reach the ‘proud cloud’, for example, help children to understand staff's expectations. Staff provide additional support swiftly when needed.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders have designed the early years curriculum carefully. They have determined the precise knowledge and skills that children should learn. Overall, staff deliver the curriculum well. Children become confident learners who are ready for Year 1. Since leaders recently reviewed how Reception-age children learn phonics, children’s progress with phonics is accelerating. Children’s confidence with phonics shines in their enthusiasm to write lists and postcards on their own. Leaders have also improved the wider provision to ensure that children access a range of purposeful learning activities, including outdoors. Staff provide children with purposeful learning activities that develop children’s skills and language while they explore and play. In the main, staff engage children effectively in activities through high- quality talk, which develops children's understanding of new words. However, staff do not

p.4

Early years Expected standard

consistently maximise opportunities to proactively engage children in high-quality interactions to extend their learning.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders make inclusion a high priority. They identify pupils’ additional needs and barriers to learning quickly and accurately as soon as they join the school. Leaders ensure that staff receive suitable training to meet the range of pupils' needs. Staff make largely suitable adaptations to enable pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) to learn successfully. Those in the specially resourced provision for pupils with SEND, the 'caterpillar pod', receive a personalised curriculum. Overall, this is effective. Leaders are strengthening the tailored support that staff provide to meet these pupils’ communication needs more precisely.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school has a very high proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language. Staff teach and monitor some pupils’ acquisition of English through a language programme. They use visual resources to help develop children’s understanding quickly in the early years. Specially trained staff provide effective welfare and wellbeing support for pupils and families who are known to social care.

p.4

Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders’ use of additional funding is mostly effective. Recently, they revised their strategies for supporting disadvantaged pupils. However, leaders’ monitoring of strategies and support lacks rigour. This means they do not identify quickly enough when strategies, for example to adapt learning in the classroom, do not have the desired impact.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders have a clear understanding of the community the school serves. They know what the school does well and where improvements can be made. Leaders are ambitious and identify clear priorities to drive further improvement, such as developing the early years and the school’s inclusion strategies.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

The trust and those responsible for governance understand their roles and responsibilities clearly. They work together to fulfil these effectively. They have precise knowledge of the school’s work and provide appropriate support and challenge to leaders. Together with leaders, they make decisions with pupils’ best interests in mind. Leaders and those responsible for governance value and take account of the viewpoints of pupils, parents, carers and staff in their vision for the school.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders ensure that staff receive a well-considered programme of high-quality training. This gives staff the confidence to deliver the curriculum as leaders intend. Leaders personalise training through individual coaching. Staff benefit from a culture of mutual support and challenge. They feel well supported at all stages of their career development. Additionally, leaders carefully consider the wellbeing and workload of staff. Staff appreciate that they have the time they need when they have additional tasks. They feel confident in asking for support when needed.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders build strong relationships with parents to strengthen the community and the support for pupils. Regular events such as ‘coffee and catch-up’, ‘share a story’ and ‘international food day’ involve parents in school life. Leaders use these opportunities to develop parents’ understanding of the school’s work and how they can support their children at home.

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