Castle View Primary School

About Castle View Primary School

Castle View Primary School in Derbyshire Dales is a smaller-than-average state primary, with 119 pupils against a capacity of 150. That spare capacity is notable given the school is oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 12 applications for just 5 places and a ratio of 2.4 applicants per spot. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 57.8%, which is significantly above the national average and suggests a catchment with higher-than-typical levels of disadvantage. The school serves children from age 2 through to 11, with nursery provision on site, and is led by headteacher Amie Wilton. Its religious character is listed as not applicable, so there is no faith-based admissions criteria. The combination of high FSM eligibility and oversubscription indicates a school that is popular locally despite — or perhaps because of — the challenges its intake brings.

Academically, the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025 judged it Good across all areas, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2022. At Key Stage 2, 38% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared to the Derbyshire local authority average of 59%. In reading, 62% reached the expected standard and 23% achieved the higher standard, while in maths the figures were 54% and 8% respectively. No pupils reached the higher standard in writing. The school’s average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 101 in maths. Nationally, Castle View ranks in the bottom 50 of primary schools by this combined measure, sitting at the 93rd percentile from the bottom. In the Derbyshire Dales local authority, it ranks 29th out of 35 schools.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a sports hall, ICT suite, sensory room and a chapel, alongside clubs in drama, coding and art. Sports provision covers football, cricket, swimming, dance, gymnastics, cross country and netball. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual and multi-sensory impairment, and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses from 14 families between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 86% would recommend the school, and 100% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. The school suits families who value a small, inclusive setting with strong pastoral care and a clear focus on improvement, particularly those whose children may benefit from the extensive SEND provisions on offer.

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