Castletown Primary School, Sunderland
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Overall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
Castletown provides a safe, supportive environment where pupils behave well and work cooperatively. The school excels with younger children in Early Years and older pupils in Years 5-6, who make strong progress. Teachers and teaching assistants work together to support learning, and the school offers a broad range of activities to enrich pupils' education.
Key Strengths
- Pupils feel safe and behaviour is good - they work hard and cooperate well
- Children in Early Years Foundation Stage make good progress in a caring, supportive setting
- Pupils in Years 5 and 6 make accelerated progress with learning gaps narrowed
- Strong team of well-trained teaching assistants providing effective classroom support
- Broad curriculum offers pupils a wide range of activities and experiences
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils do not make enough progress in Years 1-4 in reading, writing and mathematics
- Teaching is inconsistent - tasks often start at the same level for all pupils, making work too easy for some and too difficult for others
- Pupil premium funding is not used effectively enough to help disadvantaged pupils
- School leaders are not checking teaching quality rigorously enough
- Progress targets are not shared clearly with pupils in some classes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with pupils feeling safe in school and the school meeting government standards.
Castletown Primary School requires improvement overall. Pupils in Years 1-4 do not make enough progress, resulting in standards being lower than they should be by the end of Year 6, though behaviour is good and Early Years children progress well.
At a Glance
33.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 86% to 82%. Maths has improved from 77% to 82%. Writing has remained stable at around 76%.
Class Sizes
25.5
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
23.9
KS2
14
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
77%
Available places
347 pupils
450 capacity
103 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Sunderland
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Sunderland
Admissions Demand - Sunderland
Places available
3,460
Applications
2,785
Got 1st preference
95.4%
Got preferred school
98.8%
Primary admissions across Sunderland (2025/26)
Inspection History(107)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
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.
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.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.69866%
Overall absence
16.96113%
Persistent absence
283
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Castletown Primary School
Nearby Schools
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