Castleton Primary School

About Castleton Primary School

Castleton Primary School sits within the Rochdale local authority, a borough with 69 primary schools where only seven currently hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. The school itself ranks 34th out of 52 primaries in the area when measured by the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, placing it in the bottom half of local schools. The top-performing peers nearby include All Souls Church of England Primary School, Hollin Primary School and Healey Foundation Primary School, all of which score significantly higher on the same metric. Castleton’s ranking in the North West region is 1496th out of 2065 primary schools, and nationally it sits at 10275th out of 13686, which puts it in the bottom 50 per cent of schools across the country. For families weighing up options in Rochdale, Castleton is a school that serves a community with above-average levels of disadvantage — nearly 30 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals — but its academic standing locally is modest compared with the strongest nearby alternatives.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023, Castleton Primary was rated Requires Improvement overall, a downgrade from its previous Good rating in 2012. The inspection report highlighted that the quality of education, leadership and management, and early years provision all require improvement, while personal development and behaviour and attitudes were both judged Good. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 52 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, which is below the Rochdale local authority average of 58 per cent. No pupils achieved the higher standard in reading, writing and maths combined. Looking at individual subjects, 72 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 66 per cent in writing and 64 per cent in maths. Average scaled scores were 105 in reading and 103 in maths. Progress scores for all three subjects were not published, so it is not possible to say how much value the school adds compared with pupils nationally.

The school has a capacity of 350 and currently has 335 pupils on roll, with a nursery provision for children from age three. For the 2025/26 intake, Castleton was oversubscribed: 99 families applied for 37 places, and all 37 first-preference applicants were offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.68. The school’s facilities include a gymnasium, ICT suite, playing fields, sports hall, library, music rooms, dining hall and a chapel. Sports on offer include cricket, dance, athletics, netball and swimming, and there are clubs such as science club, book club and drama. Castleton provides support for a range of special educational needs, including dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and physical disability. This is a school that suits families who value a broad range of facilities and SEND support, but who are aware that academic outcomes currently sit below the local average and that the school is working through a period of required improvement.

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