Castlethorpe First School, milton keynes
Castlethorpe First School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 7 in milton keynes. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade. It was 76% full in 2025.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Milton Keynes (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Castlethorpe First School in detail
Castlethorpe First School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Castlethorpe First School , a proud member of the Village Schools Federation - a family of five village schools working together to provide exceptional education in nurturing, inclusive and inspiring learning environments. At Castlethorpe, we believe childhood should be filled with curiosity, creativity, challenge and joy."
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Castlethorpe First School
For September 2026 entry, 15 families put Castlethorpe First School as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 15 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Castlethorpe First School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Castlethorpe First School are Cosgrove Village Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 56% reading, 67% maths); Hanslope Primary School (1.7 miles, Good, 80% reading, 82% maths); Haversham Village School (1.8 miles, Good, 92% reading, 92% maths); and Yardley Gobion Church of England Primary School (2.3 miles, Good, 60% reading, 60% maths).
Cosgrove Village Primary SchoolHanslope Primary SchoolHaversham Village SchoolYardley Gobion Church of England Primary School
What parents say
19 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Castlethorpe First School (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school and 100% say their child is happy there.
The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that they would recommend the school (95%).
Who goes there
2.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (74%), Asian (8%) and Black (5%).
In 2026, 3 pupils (7.7%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
Castlethorpe First School had 3 teachers in 2026, one for every 11 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wolverton Rail Station, about 2.2 miles away in a straight line.
4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is South Street (e-bound), 150 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 8 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and other theft. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Milton Keynes (156).
Suspensions and exclusions
Castlethorpe First School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from March 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Castlethorpe First School excels at teaching reading from day one, with expert phonics instruction and engaging books that hook children's imaginations. The ambitious curriculum is delivered with real enthusiasm by knowledgeable teachers who support every child to succeed, including those with additional needs. Children thrive in this kind, inclusive school where behaviour is exemplary and they develop strong character through a rich range of enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional early reading provision with high quality phonics teaching and carefully chosen books that engage pupils' interests
- Ambitious, well-planned curriculum delivered expertly by staff with strong subject knowledge, ensuring all pupils progress extremely well
- Exemplary behaviour throughout the school due to very clear, consistently applied expectations
- Outstanding personal development through trips, guest visitors, music, dance and forest school activities that celebrate children's talents
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND and those who need extra help, ensuring all pupils become confident learners
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school creating an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
After school provision, music, dance, forest school activities, guest speakers, visits to castles and museums and the zoo
Castlethorpe First School is an outstanding infant school where pupils arrive each day with enthusiasm and feel extremely safe. The school's values of 'inspiring learners, growing together' create an exceptionally nurturing environment that develops children's independence, confidence and academic success.
At a Glance
20.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
19 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Class Sizes
19.5
Avg class size
15.0
Infant (KS1)
2
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Castlethorpe First School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Castlethorpe First School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Castlethorpe First School is in Milton Keynes; for families living there:
- Milton Keynes's school travel policy: School Travel Support Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Castlethorpe First School
Will you get a place at Castlethorpe First School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Castlethorpe First School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Castlethorpe First School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Castlethorpe First School.
- Milton Keynes publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Castlethorpe First School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Castlethorpe First School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Milton Keynes got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
76%
Available places
34 pupils
45 places
11 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - milton keynes
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for milton keynes
Across Milton Keynes council
Places available
4,130
Applications
3,155
Got 1st preference
95.0%
Got preferred school
99.4%
All primary applications across Milton Keynes council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
3
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
7.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
39
Total Pupils
16
Boys
23
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
3
Teachers
13.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,193
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£10,307
Per pupil
£388k
Total funding
£5k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
15.8%
Persistent absence
19
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Castlethorpe First School
What is Castlethorpe First School's Ofsted rating?
Castlethorpe First School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Castlethorpe First School?
No fixed boundary. When Castlethorpe First School is oversubscribed, Milton Keynes allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Castlethorpe First School?
Castlethorpe First School was not full in 2025: it ran at 76% of its 45 places.
How big are the classes at Castlethorpe First School?
Classes at Castlethorpe First School average 19.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Castlethorpe First School?
Castlethorpe First School has around 39 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Castlethorpe First School?
4.7% of sessions were missed at Castlethorpe First School in 2024/25. 15.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Castlethorpe First School?
Apply through Milton Keynes's coordinated admissions process, naming Castlethorpe First School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Castlethorpe First School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 0 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Milton Keynes is 8 (the median across 125 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Castlethorpe First School?
Castlethorpe First School is at Castlethorpe, milton keynes, Buckinghamshire, MK19 7EW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)