Ark Castledown Primary Academy

General Information

Address: Priory Road, Hastings, TN34 3QT
Phone: 01424444046
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Miss Rebecca Stewart
Age range: 2-11 years
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Number of pupils: 403
School capacity: 480
Pupils eligible for free school meals: 209
% eligible for free school meals: 51.9%
Nursery provision: Yes

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Behaviour information for this school has not been added yet.

Attendance

Overall absence: 6.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 19.3%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

SEN provision information for this school has not been added yet.

Pupils on SEN Support: 18.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.2%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 42 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 15 pupils
Other difficulty or disability: 4 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
Physical disability: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Autistic spectrum disorder: 8 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

Behaviour

–

Openness

–

Teaching Quality

–

School Ethos

–

Ability to Deal with Problems

–

Headteacher Approval

–

Would recommend –

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Educational Attainment

Good 2021 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Educational attainment data for this school has not been added yet.

View full Ofsted inspection report

Ranked #3 of 13 Ofsted Rating schools of this type in the area

#1Ark Blacklands Primary AcademyOutstanding
#2Ark Little Ridge Primary AcademyOutstanding
#3Ark Castledown Primary AcademyGood
#4Churchwood Primary SchoolGood
#5Mulberry Silverdale PrimaryGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

#1Ark Blacklands Primary AcademyOutstanding
#2Ark Little Ridge Primary AcademyOutstanding
#3Ark Castledown Primary AcademyGood
#4Churchwood Primary SchoolGood
#5Mulberry Silverdale PrimaryGood
#6Mulberry West St Leonards PrimaryGood
#7Ore Village Primary AcademyGood
#8Robsack Wood Primary SchoolGood
#9St Leonards Church of England Primary AcademyGood
#10St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#11St Paul's Church of England AcademyGood
#12Mulberry Baird PrimaryRequires improvement
#13Hollington Primary SchoolInadequate

Financials

Financial summary information for this school has not been added yet.

Spending per pupil: £6,616 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

Ranked #8 of 15 Spending Per Pupil schools of this type in the area

#6Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy£7,069
#7Mulberry West St Leonards Primary£6,789
#8Ark Castledown Primary Academy£6,616
#9Robsack Wood Primary School£6,510
#10St Paul's Church of England Academy£6,411

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

#1Mulberry Baird Primary£8,186
#2Hollington Primary School£7,997
#3Ore Village Primary Academy£7,532
#4Sandown Primary School and Nursery£7,301
#5Churchwood Primary School£7,277
#6Christ Church CofE Primary and Nursery Academy£7,069
#7Mulberry West St Leonards Primary£6,789
#8Ark Castledown Primary Academy£6,616
#9Robsack Wood Primary School£6,510
#10St Paul's Church of England Academy£6,411
#11Ark Little Ridge Primary Academy£6,346
#12St Leonards Church of England Primary Academy£6,335
#13Mulberry Silverdale Primary£5,828
#14Ark Blacklands Primary Academy£5,772
#15St Mary Star of the Sea Catholic Primary School£2,039

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)