Former King Richard School, Castle View Academy in Paulsgrove celebrates turnaround in fortunes since joining United Learning

Students and staff at Castle View Academy in Allaway Avenue, Paulsgrove have marked five years since joining United Learning with a series of events.

The school, previously known as King Richard School, was graded as ‘requires improvement’ in its last Ofsted report in 2017 before joining United Learning. The most recent, last year, had risen to ‘good’.

The academy has identified five key areas where standards have risen, including improved student wellbeing, improved results, improved attitudes to learning, improved opportunities, and the Improved Ofsted rating.

In the five years the number of students achieving a grade 5 or above in both English in maths at GCSE has doubled – in 2022, 44 per cent of students achieved these grades compared to 22 per cent in 2017.

And last June, Ofsted inspectors judged the academy ‘good’ in all areas. The report begins with inspectors commenting: ‘At the heart of Castle View Academy is a desire for all pupils to achieve excellence and for them to be ambitious, determined and respectful.’

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Principal Christian Down said: ‘When we joined United Learning we were clear that we wanted to drive improvement throughout the school. We began with a focus on teaching and learning and it has been very encouraging to see academic attainment improve so rapidly. Alongside this, we have worked hard on improving the overall school experience for our students so that school is a place they want to come to, where they want to get involved and where they want to make a positive contribution.

‘Our increased attendance speaks for itself as does the number of students who are actively involved in our clubs and teams and who hold leadership positions. It was particularly gratifying to hear them tell inspectors how proud they are of the school during our recent Ofsted inspection.

‘With the support of United Learning, our staff have worked incredibly hard and the anniversary this week gives us the opportunity to sit back and reflect on everything we have achieved. Every one of our fantastic staff has played a pivotal role in transforming standards and I would like to thank them for their hard work, commitment and tireless energy.’