Castlewood Primary School, Horsham
Castlewood Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Horsham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 26 schools in Horsham with published results, and 1,534th of 14,452 across England. It was 85% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to West Sussex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Castlewood Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at Castlewood Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 90% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 72% in West Sussex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 87% in reading and 87% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Castlewood Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 34 families put Castlewood Primary School as their first choice and 86 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Castlewood Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Castlewood Primary School are Southwater Junior Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 84% reading, 80% maths); Southwater Infant Academy (0.4 miles, Good); St Andrew's CofE Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 88% reading, 94% maths); and St Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School (2.1 miles, Good, 93% reading, 90% maths).
Castlewood Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Southwater Junior AcademySouthwater Infant AcademySt Andrew's CofE Primary SchoolSt Mary's CofE (Aided) Primary School
Who goes there
2.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 5.4% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Staffing
Castlewood Primary School had 14 teachers in 2026, one for every 15 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Christs Hospital Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
2 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is The Brook (opposite), 360 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Castlewood Primary School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. On income deprivation affecting children it is in the 8th decile, where the 1st is the most deprived. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 31 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well below the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Castlewood Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoThis judgement is from March 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its March 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
2.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 83% to 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.3
Avg class size
30.3
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
7
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Castlewood Primary School
Newsletter 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
Newsletter 17th July 2026
17 Jul 2026
Newsletter 10th July 2026
10 Jul 2026
From Castlewood Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with Castlewood Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Castlewood Primary School.
- VIM Camps LtdAt the school · Not yet graded
Term dates
Castlewood Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. Training (INSET) days, when pupils are not in school, vary by school: check the school's own calendar.
2026 to 2027
- Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026)
- Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027)
- Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027)
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Castlewood Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Castlewood Primary School is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 3
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 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 Castlewood Primary School
Will you get a place at Castlewood Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Castlewood Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Castlewood Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Castlewood Primary School.
- West Sussex publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Castlewood Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Castlewood Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in West Sussex 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.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
85%
Available places
207 pupils
243 places
36 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Horsham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Horsham
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,608
Applications
8,127
Got 1st preference
92.4%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
17.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
205
Total Pupils
111
Boys
94
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
14
Teachers
14.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,909
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,129
Per pupil
£1115k
Total funding
£9k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
5.6%
Persistent absence
179
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about Castlewood Primary School
What are SATs results like at Castlewood Primary School?
Of the pupils at Castlewood Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 90% did so in maths.
What is Castlewood Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Castlewood Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Castlewood Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Castlewood Primary School is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Castlewood Primary School?
Castlewood Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 85% of its 243 places.
How big are the classes at Castlewood Primary School?
Classes at Castlewood Primary School average 29.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Castlewood Primary School?
Castlewood Primary School has around 205 pupils on roll. 3% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Castlewood Primary School?
3.3% of sessions were missed at Castlewood Primary School in 2024/25. 5.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Castlewood Primary School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Castlewood Primary 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.
Does Castlewood Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: VIM Camps Ltd (registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
What are Castlewood Primary School's term dates?
Castlewood Primary School is a community school, so its term dates are set by West Sussex. In 2026 to 2027: Autumn term: Tuesday 1 September to Friday 18 December 2026 (half term Monday 26 October to Friday 30 October 2026); Spring term: Monday 4 January to Thursday 25 March 2027 (half term Monday 15 February to Friday 19 February 2027); Summer term: Monday 12 April to Wednesday 21 July 2027 (half term Monday 31 May to Friday 4 June 2027).
How many road collisions happen near Castlewood Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 3 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 3 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Castlewood Primary School?
Castlewood Primary School is at Castlewood Road, Southwater, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 9US.
Sources: West Sussex term dates; Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)