Belmont Castle Academy

About Belmont Castle Academy

Belmont Castle Academy sits within Thurrock, a local authority where five primary schools currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The nearest of those, Harris Primary Academy Mayflower, is just 1.2 kilometres away. Among the 39 primary schools in the borough, Belmont Castle ranks 26th on its combined Key Stage 2 reading, writing and maths expected standard score, placing it in the bottom half of the LA table. Its top-performing local peers include Quarry Hill Academy, Chadwell St Mary Primary School and St Mary's Catholic Primary School, all of which sit higher in the rankings. The school is a large, mixed, state primary with nursery provision, educating 701 pupils against a capacity of 660, and it operates under headteacher Holly Pottle. It has no religious character and is non-selective, drawing its intake from the surrounding area. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 18.8 per cent, which is a useful benchmark for families considering the school's demographic context.

In its most recent graded inspection, carried out in 2012, Ofsted rated Belmont Castle Academy Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. An ungraded inspection in 2021 confirmed the school remains Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 60 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is below the Thurrock LA average of 67 per cent. Reading was the strongest area, with 84 per cent of pupils meeting the expected standard and 29 per cent reaching the higher standard. In maths, 72 per cent achieved the expected standard and 27 per cent reached the higher level, while writing saw 68 per cent at the expected standard and 16 per cent at the higher level. Average scaled scores were 106 in reading and 105 in maths. Nationally, the school ranks in the 57th percentile among all primary schools, and within the East of England region it sits in the 53rd percentile.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including music rooms, a forest school, a sensory room, an outdoor playground and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, cricket, netball, tennis and gymnastics, while extracurricular clubs include film, eco, gardening and science. For pupils with additional needs, Belmont Castle provides support for moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment and autistic spectrum disorder. Admissions for the 2025/26 year show the school is oversubscribed: 90 places attracted 169 total applications, with 79 first-preference applications and 78 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.88. This suggests strong local demand, and families considering the school should be aware that securing a place may require a first-preference application. Belmont Castle is best suited to families who value a large, well-resourced primary with a strong pastoral and SEND framework, and who are comfortable with a school that performs around the middle of the LA table academically.

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