School Chooser

Castle View Primary Academy

Primary · ages 4-11MixedAcademy100 pupilsLancasterLancashire
School Chooser Score
6
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 2 to 18
Out of 100. Better than 20% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
OfstedReport cardOfsted report card, March 2026
Reached the expected level at 1131%England 63%
Attendance92.9%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families56%Far more than most schools
Places110 spare100 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher25.0School workforce census

Castle View Primary Academy is a sponsored academy in Lancaster for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 100 pupils and room for 210. About 56 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 6 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 20% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in March 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Keswick Road, Lancaster, LA1 3LE0152467880castleview.schoolMr Huw Rose headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 18 March 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
26 February 2025Academy First Section 5Not judged

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

13 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1131%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score100.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 23%23%20172018: 28%28%20182019: 45%45%20192023: 63%63%20232024: 28%28%20242025: 31%31%2025
Since 2017: +8%Declining overall
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025202420232019†2018†2017†LancashireEngland
Pupils tested132519292526
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths31%28%63%45%28%23%61%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%8%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.099.0104.098.099.097.0105.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score100.098.0103.0101.099.099.0104.2104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score102.099.0104.099.099.098.0104.9105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard62%52%79%52%60%42%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard38%48%79%62%56%65%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)54%36%74%52%40%31%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.9-3.1-5.0-1.1
Maths progressMaths progress score-1.2-1.3-4.3+0.6
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged25%55%47%13%14%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged31%75%43%50%33%

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for Castle View Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2022. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Plenty of spare places108 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
51% full

102 places were empty (49% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Lancashire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll100Census January 2026
Places21048% full
Pupils from low-income families56%56% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English26%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%13 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%5 pupils with a plan
Average class size25.04 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)47%£72,850 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls62 / 38
White British pupils72%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (8), emotional and mental health (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (2), Moderate learning difficulty (2), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census2026202520242023
Pupils on roll100101132123
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals56%51%48%55%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language26%25%31%21%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support17%21%24%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans6%5%5%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.9%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school21.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils5.92024/25, 1 permanent exclusion
Missed without permission2.4%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.1%8.9%7.6%8.4%4.3%4.6%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.7%6.8%5.5%6.0%3.0%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.4%2.2%2.1%2.4%1.4%1.2%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence21.3%32.3%28.3%35.4%14.8%13.3%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate5.914.413.8
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions110

† These attendance figures are for Castle View Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2022. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers4.0full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher25.0Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,397
Teachers who left in the year50%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.02024/25

Money

From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£10,059England £7,128. Total £1.0m
Income per pupil£10,406England £7,587. Total £1.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£4,545England £3,405
Money in reserve-14%In the red: -£144k, -£1,422 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£35kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£10,059spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m42012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate78 per 1,000 people15% lower than the England average
Typical house price£200,000Lancaster
Nearest bus stop80 mPrimary School, 17 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Lancaster Christ Church Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England510 m201Report card 202659Compare
The Cathedral Catholic Primary School, LancasterRoman Catholic880 m195Not inspected70Compare
St Josephs Catholic Primary School, LancasterAcademy0.7 miles144Requires improvement 20242Compare
Lancaster Dallas Road Community Primary SchoolCouncil0.9 miles372Good 202256Compare
Bowerham Primary & Nursery SchoolCouncil0.9 miles498Report card 202652Compare
Skerton St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolChurch of England1.0 miles188Good 202216Compare
Lancaster Ryelands Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles362Report card 202643Compare
Willow Lane Community Primary SchoolCouncil1.2 miles199No overall grade 202515Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares Castle View Primary Academy with the 45 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 45 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats20%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 6 is 16 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 1 · middle 22 · highest 70100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 6 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 6% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 2 to 18. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years25%well below
-0.36
2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 13 pupils
Ofsted inspection0%no data
Ofsted report card, 0.5 years old
Progress pupils make20%below
-0.14
DfE progress measure; 13 pupils
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.14
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%well below
-0.16
2024/25; 108 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%below
-0.11
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 13 pupils
What parents say0%no data

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is Castle View Primary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. Castle View Primary Academy scores 6 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 20% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 2 to 18, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

What is Castle View Primary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 18 March 2026 it rated .

How good are Castle View Primary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 31% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does Castle View Primary Academy have?

100 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 48% full.

Is Castle View Primary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 102 places were empty in 2024/25 (49% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at Castle View Primary Academy?

Pupils were in school 92.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 21% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at Castle View Primary Academy?

The average class had 25.0 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Keswick Road, Lancaster, LA1 3LE
Telephone
0152467880
Website
castleview.school
Headteacher
Mr Huw Rose
Type of school
Sponsored academy (Academy sponsor led, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Multi-academy trust
Cidari Education Limited (15 schools)
Local authority
Lancashire
Ward
Bulk
Constituency
Lancaster and Wyre
Setting
Urban: Further from a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2022 (new provision)
URN
148231 · LAESTAB 8882011 · UKPRN 10087063
Formerly
Castle View Primary School

Where these figures come from