Ofsted success for Portsmouth school as principal promises to ‘take Castle View Academy from strength to strength’

Castle View Academy is celebrating the results of its first inspection since it closed as King Richard School and reopened under its new name in 2018.

It was rated ‘Good’ in all categories following a full inspection in June.

Inspectors praised a wide range of the school’s strengths, reporting that it was clear that ‘at the very heart of Castle View Academy is a desire for all pupils to achieve excellence’.

Christian Down, principal at Castle View Academy, said: ‘This recent Ofsted report is a credit to the hard work and dedication of our excellent staff team and our students, and is something that I know our whole school community will take pride in.

‘As inspectors have rightly noted, our goal as teachers is for every student to achieve excellence and to leave us with the skills, qualifications and experiences they need to be successful young adults.

‘This report confirms the steps we are taking are the right ones and demonstrates how far we have come in recent years.

‘We are very grateful for the way everyone associated with our school has supported our ambitions for our students and for our school.

‘With a new academic year under way, we are excited to continue to deliver on this and take Castle View Academy from strength to strength.’

Ofsted inspectors praised the school’s ‘ambitious and well-structured’ curriculum, saying it is supported by high-quality teaching and planning that gives pupils the support they need to progress, including those with additional needs.

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There was also praise for the way staff ensure students are prepared for the future.

Dame Sally Coates, director of secondary education at United Learning, the schools group Castle View Academy belongs to, said: ‘We are very pleased that the inspectors concluded that Castle View Academy is now a ‘good’ school in all areas and found a great deal to commend about its high academic standards, the breadth of the curriculum and its strong pastoral systems.

‘The past two and a half years have been very challenging, but it is clear from this report that the entire school community has worked hard to ensure that it continues to move from strength to strength.’