Castlecroft Primary School

About Castlecroft Primary School

Castlecroft Primary School sits slightly below the Wolverhampton local authority average for its key stage 2 headline measure. While the LA average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined stands at 64%, Castlecroft’s figure is 57%. That gap of seven percentage points places the school 42nd out of 72 primary schools in the borough, putting it in the bottom half locally and the bottom 50% nationally. However, the picture is more nuanced when you look at individual subjects. In maths, 83% of pupils met the expected standard and the average scaled score was 107, which is above the national benchmark of 100. Reading also performed reasonably well, with 60% at the expected level and an average score of 105. The real drag comes from writing, where only 13% of pupils reached the higher standard, compared with 27% in both reading and maths. So while the combined figure lags the LA average, the school’s maths and reading outcomes suggest solid foundations in those core areas.

Castlecroft’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in July 2024, confirmed that the school remains Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good. That’s a notable improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2013, when it was rated Requires Improvement. The school has held a Good rating across both its recent inspections, and the 2024 visit found no reason to downgrade. At key stage 2, just 3% of pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is low, but the school’s Progress 8 scores are not available in the data, so it’s hard to say how much value it adds relative to intake. The school’s ranking score of 57 (based on the expected standard metric) puts it well behind local top performers like St Bartholomew’s (95) and Oak Meadow (84). For parents focused on academic outcomes, Castlecroft is a solidly average performer within a mixed local picture.

The school is oversubscribed for 2025/26, with 81 applications for 22 places and 21 first-preference offers, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.68. That suggests strong local demand despite the middling headline results. Facilities include a Forest School, sensory room, art studios, music rooms and a gymnasium, plus clubs ranging from coding and gardening to film and art. Sports provision covers football, dance, tennis, cricket and athletics. SEND support is broad, covering dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health, and hearing and visual impairments, with a resourced provision on site. The school has a nursery for children from age three, and its religious character is listed as does not apply. With 28.9% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Castlecroft serves a relatively disadvantaged catchment. It’s a good fit for families who value a broad enrichment offer and strong SEND support over top-tier academic results, and who want a school that’s clearly popular enough to be heavily oversubscribed.

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