| Name | Ark Castledown Primary Academy |
| Website | http://www.arkcastledown.org |
| Ofsted Inspection Rating | Good This inspection rating relates to a predecessor school. When a school, converts to an academy, is taken over or closes and reopens as a new school a formal link is created between the new school and the old school, by the Department for Education. Where the new school has not yet been inspected, we show the inspection history of the predecessor school, as we believe it still has significance. |
| Inspection Date | 19 September 2013 |
| Address | Priory Road, Hastings, TN34 3QT |
| Phone Number | 01424444046 |
| Type | Academy |
| Age Range | 2-11 |
| Religious Character | Does Not Apply |
| Gender | Mixed |
| Number of Pupils | 361 (50% boys 50% girls) |
| Number of Pupils per Teacher | 20.9 |
| Academy Sponsor | Ark Schools |
| Local Authority | East Sussex |
| Percentage Free School Meals | 39.9% |
| Percentage English is Not First Language | 10.9% |
| Persisitent Absence | 16% |
| Pupils with SEN Support | 6.9% |
| Catchment Area Information Available | Yes, our catchment area data is FREE |
| Last Distance Offered Information Available | No |
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Highlights from Latest Inspection:
Information about this school This is a larger-than-average-sized primary school. Almost two thirds of the pupils are eligible for the pupil premium, which is additional funding provided for children in local authority care and those known to be eligible for free school meals. This proportion is well above the national average. The proportion of disabled pupils and those with special educational needs who are supported through school action is just above the national average. The proportion of pupils who are supported at school action plus or have a statement of special educational needs is just below the national average. The proportion of pupils who join the school during the course of their primary education is above the national average. The school meets the government’s current floor standards, which set the minimum expectations for pupils’ attainment and progress. The school operates a breakfast and after-school club for its pupils. It has undertaken a major rebuilding programme since its inspection. Summary of key findings for parents and pupils This is a good school. Pupils are keen to learn, and achieve well. They make good progress in a range of subjects, including reading, writing and mathematics, throughout the school. School leaders have succeeded in improving the quality of teaching so that it is now consistently good, with examples of outstanding practice. As a result, the standards reached by pupils by the time they leave have risen significantly over the past few years. Teachers include a good range of activities in their lessons and match tasks carefully to pupils’ interests and different levels of ability. Pupils behave sensibly in lessons and around the school. They have few concerns about bullying because they say that adults deal with any occurrences quickly and effectively. Leaders work well together and have high expectations of the staff and of pupils. They make sure that teachers understand the school’s goals for improvement and that they receive good support to help them to reach their targets. Governors know their school well, including the quality of teaching and the extent of pupils’ achievement. They hold leaders rigorously to account for making sure that any relative weaknesses in the school’s performance are promptly and successfully addressed. The school promotes pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development well, and makes sure that pupils are well prepared for the next stage of their education. It is not yet an outstanding school because : Teachers do not always adapt tasks during lessons effectively enough to ensure that all pupils remain fully engaged in tasks and are able to make rapid progress. Pupils do not always have sufficient opportunities in lessons to learn for themselves and from one another. Teachers do not, at present, have enough chances to share examples of outstanding practice. |
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