Castle School, Walsall

Outstanding
Special
Community special school
Mixed
Ages 718

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Christine Fraser
Pupils:247 / 205 capacity
LA:Walsall
Phone:01922710129
Address:Odell Road, Leamore, Walsall, WS3 2ED
Federation:Castle Lane Federation
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open
Opened:1 January 1900

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 1 year ago
-

Overall

Good

Quality of Education

Outstanding

Behaviour & Attitudes

Outstanding

Personal Development

Good

Leadership & Management

Outstanding

Sixth Form

Inspected 3 June 2025View full report
URN:104269
UKPRN:10015226
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Walsall and Bloxwich
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Castle School excels at creating an inclusive environment where every pupil is supported to succeed. Staff understand each child's needs - both academically and emotionally - and pupils develop strong confidence and life skills alongside their learning. The school goes above and beyond with enrichment activities, excellent careers support, and genuine preparation for adult life.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptional behaviour and attitudes from pupils, with staff actively modelling tolerance and respect
  • Outstanding personal development programme that builds pupils' confidence, independence and life skills
  • Strong support for pupils with SEND, quickly identifying needs and putting appropriate provision in place
  • Engaging curriculum that excels in reading and brings learning to life through practical application
  • Excellent preparation for pupils' next steps, with strong careers education and work experience opportunities

Areas for Improvement

  • Writing curriculum in key stages 2 and 3 is not clearly sequenced, limiting pupils' ability to build writing skills over time
  • Some subject leaders lack sufficient oversight of how teachers are implementing the curriculum, so they cannot identify where staff need support
  • Not all pupils are securely learning important knowledge in every subject due to inconsistent implementation

Safeguarding

Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear systems in place to keep pupils safe.

Extracurricular Activities

Castlefest music festival, community singing events, sixth-form mentoring of younger pupils, work experience opportunities, college visits for sixth-form students

Castle School has created a warm and welcoming learning environment where pupils thrive and make good progress. The school is highly ambitious for all its pupils, with outstanding behaviour, attitudes, and personal development.

At a Glance

53.1%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

No

Nursery

Yes

Sixth Form

SpLD - Specific Learning Difficulty, VI - Visual Impairment, HI - Hearing Impairment, SLCN - Speech, language and Communication

SEN Provision

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

14 responses
Would recommend100%
Child is happy100%
Well taught100%
Good progress100%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved100%
Bullying dealt with43%
Kept informed100%
Handles concerns71%
Wider development100%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Primary Performance (KS2)

Academic year 2025/26

KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)

2024
2025
Reading+7ppMathsWriting

Reading has improved from 0% to 7%. Maths has remained stable at around 0%. Writing has remained stable at around 0%.

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Can you get into this school?
Enter your postcode to find out

Commute Calculator

Find out if this school is reachable from your home - before you apply

Sign up free to see your commute to this school

What are my chances?

Enter your postcode to estimate your probability of getting a place.

Capacity & Demand

School Occupancy

120%

Over capacity

247 pupils

205 capacity

42 places over capacity

Area Demand Pressure - Walsall

Low pressure
New homes approved:1,713
Projected new pupils:308

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Walsall

Admissions Demand - Walsall

Low demand0.93x oversubscription

Places available

4,057

Applications

3,772

Got 1st preference

75.9%

Got preferred school

93.9%

Secondary admissions across Walsall (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

3 June 2025
Quality of EducationGood
Behaviour & AttitudesOutstanding
Personal DevelopmentOutstanding
Leadership & ManagementGood
Sixth FormOutstanding
30 January 2018
20 October 2014

House Prices

Moving into the catchment? See what homes near this school actually cost

Sign up free to see house prices near this school

SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

Sign up free to see special needs support at this school

Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

Sign up free to see who goes to this school

Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

Sign up free to see teacher and staff data

Pupil Absence
2024/25

10.85023%

Overall absence

32%

Persistent absence

200

Enrolments

Authorised7.15154%
Unauthorised3.69869%
Persistent (10%+)32%
Severe (50%+)3.5%

Absence trend

7.24888%
18/19
23.26553%
20/21
10.61905%
21/22
12.08165%
22/23
10.67915%
23/24
10.85023%
24/25
Overall absence rate

Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.

Reviews

No reviews yet - be the first to leave one.

Leave a Review

You need to be signed in to leave a review.

Feeder Primary Schools

Primary schools that likely feed into this school, based on proximity

Showing 10 of 15 linked schools

Nearby Schools

Do you work at this school?

Claim your profile free to get a verified badge, update your contact details, and see how many parents are viewing your page.