NCEA Castle School
NCEA Castle School is a special academy in Ashington for boys and girls aged 2 to 19. It has 158 pupils, 8 more than it has places for. About 57 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2022.
Academy Road, Ashington, NE63 9FZ01670 844322castle.ncea.org.ukMrs Sonia Wilkinson headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 November 2022, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Good overall.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome | Inspected as |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 June 2023 | Serious Weaknesses S5 Reinspection | Requires improvement | NCEA Duke's Secondary School (predecessor) |
† These inspections are for NCEA Duke's Secondary School, the school this one replaced in July 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Results
GCSE results, summer 2025
3 pupils sat their GCSEs. Here is how they did against every state secondary in England.
All GCSE measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2019 | 2018† | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of Year 11 | 3 | 11 | 5 | 10 | 7 | 146 | – | – |
| Average GCSE scoreAttainment 8 | – | – | – | – | 0.6 | 36.9 | 44.5 | 46.8 |
| Progress from age 11Progress 8 | – | – | – | – | – | -0.61 | – | – |
| Strong pass in English and mathsGrade 5+ in English and maths | – | – | – | – | 0% | 30% | 40% | 46% |
| Standard pass in English and mathsGrade 4+ in English and maths | – | – | – | – | 0% | 46% | 63% | 66% |
| Core subjects scoreEBacc average point score | – | – | – | – | 0.00 | 3.20 | 3.85 | 4.15 |
| Taking the core subjectsEBacc entry | – | – | – | – | 0% | 52% | 31% | 41% |
| Average GCSE score: low-income pupilsAttainment 8, disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | – | 28.5 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: other pupilsAttainment 8, non-disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | – | 43.3 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started behindAttainment 8, low prior attainers | – | – | – | – | – | 16.9 | – | – |
| Average GCSE score: pupils who started aheadAttainment 8, high prior attainers | – | – | – | – | – | 55.5 | – | – |
† These results are for NCEA Duke's Secondary School, the school this one replaced in July 2018. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
7 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.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018† | 2017† | Northumberland | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 7 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 172 | 173 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 73% | 66% | 60% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 12% | 6% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | – | – | – | – | 106.0 | 104.0 | 104.5 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | – | – | – | – | 106.0 | 105.0 | 103.6 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | – | – | – | – | 106.0 | 104.0 | 103.7 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 79% | 77% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 85% | 79% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 0% | – | 0% | 0% | 81% | 76% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -4.5 | – | +1.1 | +3.9 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -3.2 | – | +2.2 | +3.9 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | 66% | 56% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | – | – | – | – | 80% | 80% | – | – |
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 NCEA Duke's Secondary School, the school this one replaced in July 2018. 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.
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 Northumberland council's admissions booklet, send it to us.
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Northumberland with autism provision.
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (69), language and communications needs (28), Profound and multiple learning difficulty (21), Severe learning difficulty (19), Physical disability (9), emotional and mental health (4).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 158 | 157 | 138 | 118 | 111 | 99 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 56% | 57% | 52% | 55% | 51% | 47% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 3% | 4% | 4% | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 1% | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 99% | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.7% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 8.3% | 10.5% | 13.4% | 14.1% | 24.2% | 9.8% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 6.6% | 8.9% | 12.7% | 13.7% | 22.0% | 8.9% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.7% | 1.6% | 0.8% | 0.4% | 2.1% | 0.8% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 25.6% | 31.3% | 49.5% | 43.7% | 72.0% | 32.9% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
What pupils do next
After GCSEs
Where the 10 pupils who left in 2021/22 were a year later.
Earlier years
| Destination | 2021/22 leavers | 2020/21 leavers | 2019/20 leavers | 2018/19 leavers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Still in education, work or training | 90% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Education | 90% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
| Apprenticeship | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Work | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Not in education, work or training | 0% | 0% | 0% | 0% |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the academy accounts return, year to August 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other special schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
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
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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NCEA Duke's Secondary School | Academy | 80 m | 980 | Requires improvement 2023 | 1 | Compare |
| NCEA Bishop's Primary School | Academy | 150 m | 448 | Good 2022 | 12 | Compare |
| St Aidan's Catholic Primary School, Ashington | Academy | 440 m | 238 | Good 2021 | 81 | Compare |
| NCEA Thomas Bewick C of E Primary School | Academy | 520 m | 253 | Good 2024 | 19 | Compare |
| NCEA James Knott CofE Primary School | Academy | 0.8 miles | 213 | No overall grade 2024 | 47 | Compare |
| Central Academy | Academy | 0.9 miles | – | Good 2023 | – | Compare |
| NCEA Grace Darling CofE Primary School | Academy | 1.0 miles | 372 | Good 2024 | 7 | Compare |
| Rosewood Independent School | Independent | 1.2 miles | 40 | Not inspected | – | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is NCEA Castle School a good school?
NCEA Castle School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in November 2022.
What is NCEA Castle School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated NCEA Castle School good at its last full inspection on 8 November 2022.
How good are NCEA Castle School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 0% 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 NCEA Castle School have?
158 pupils aged 2 to 19 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 150 places, so it is 105% full.
What is attendance like at NCEA Castle School?
Pupils were in school 91.7% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 26% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
Does NCEA Castle School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It is a special school for autism, profound and multiple learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
Does NCEA Castle School have a sixth form?
Yes.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Academy Road, Ashington, NE63 9FZ
- Telephone
- 01670 844322
- Website
- www.castle.ncea.org.uk
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sonia Wilkinson
- Type of school
- Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
- Phase
- Special school, ages 2-19, with nursery, with sixth form
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- None
- Multi-academy trust
- Northumberland Church of England Academy Trust (9 schools)
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Ward
- Seaton with Spital
- Constituency
- Blyth and Ashington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 July 2018
- URN
- 145957 · LAESTAB 9295950 · UKPRN 10068094
- Formerly
- NCEA Duke's Secondary School
Recent changes
- New KS4 results for 2024/25
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- GCSE results: DfE key stage 4 performance tables, 2024/25 final.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, academy accounts return 2024/25.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.