VISION

Our vision is to change our pupils’ lives for the better through personalised learning, nurture and preparation for life

Dear Parents, Carers, and Visitors,

A very warm welcome to Castles Education. We are incredibly proud of the supportive, nurturing environment we’ve created here at Castles, where each child is valued, respected, and encouraged to reach their full potential. We have been on a journey of renewal for the last 2 years and in January 2025 we were most recently inspected by the Indepedant Schools inspectorate (the ISI) and I am pleased to announce that Castles Education once again meets all standards. Our staff and students are collectively proud of this incredible achievement.

Here at Castles, we are committed to providing a safe and stimulating learning environment that meets the individual needs of every student. We recopgnise that every child is unique, and we strive to foster their growth, whether that be academically, socially, emotionally, or creatively. We believe in celebrating diversity and embracing the strengths that each student brings to our school community.

We work closely with parents, carers, and external professionals to ensure that our students receive the tailored support they need, and we are passionate about offering a curriculum that is accessible, engaging, and relevant to each learner. From dedicated one-on-one support to small group activities, we aim to make every moment of learning meaningful and empowering.

Our team of skilled and compassionate staff are here to guide and support our students every step of the way. Together, we celebrate the small victories and encourage the resilience that empowers our students to face challenges with confidence.

I hope you enjoy exploring our website, where you can learn more about our values, the fantastic opportunities we offer, and the success stories of our students. This is a great time to be part of our school.

Should you have any questions or wish to learn more about our school, please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Thank you for visiting, and we look forward to meeting you.

With best wishes,

Andy

HEADTEACHER'S WELCOME

Andrew Fyfe
Headteacher

Click here to view our latest school inspection report.

Or click the report image opposite to download a copy.

“The proprietor and school leaders have created an environment and school culture which is focused on promoting pupils learning and wellbeing.”

— ISI Inspection Report 2025

To provide a welcoming and purposeful environment where young people can flourish and where their needs, and aspirations are met. 

Our curriculum is designed to achieve this for all of our pupils, whatever their starting point, abilities or needs.

We provide a safe and nurturing environment for our pupils, in which they can learn and develop socially and emotionally.

We work to ensure that our staff and pupils have excellent relationships with each other. We work closely with our families to support our pupils.

MISSION

OUR PRIDE VALUES

Our PRIDE values inform everything that we do and are at the heart of our school family.

We find our values provide our anchor for who we strive to be in our daily interactions with others. Our values are shared by our young people and by our team of dedicated professionals. 

  • We aim to ensure that children have a clear purpose in all they do. That children know what they are learning in all lessons and why it is important. Activities and events are purposeful and enhance the learning experiences of every child at our school.

  • We teach that respect does not just mean being polite and careful but making sure that your surroundings, learning environment and fellow classmates are happy, safe and have a great place in which to learn and thrive.

  • We guide our students to make ethical choices, uphold honesty, and foster a sense of responsibility. By instilling integrity, we cultivate individuals who contribute positively to society. Integrity is at the heart of everything we do.

  • Determination is the driving force behind success. We encourage our students to set ambitious goals, work persistently towards them, and embrace the journey of learning with determination and purpose.

  • Our children are taught to aim high in their learning and to achieve their full potential in life. This means using all of their PRIDE skills to take pride in themselves and their work and to encourage and help others to do the same.

“Staff make explicit links between pupils learning in PSHE, the schools PRIDE values and fundamental British values..”

— ISI Inspection Report 2025

OUR VISION

High levels of collaboration within the school ensure the very best possible range of learning opportunities are provided for our young people. 

Well-planned, sequenced and purposeful teaching leads our young people making good progress in all aspects of their learning. 

Focused and caring support in partnership with our families leads to highly effective partnerships which benefit our young people through their learning. 

Our young people are supported and encouraged to communicate their needs, wants and opinions and we work hard to ensure their voice is heard. 

We support our students in developing their self-confidence and independence. 

We ensure, by focusing on our young persons needs, that students leave Castles Education effectively prepared for the next stages of their life. 

Young people actively engage in their community, becoming agents of change and ambassadors for the SEND community. 

Our pupils have a very wide range of abilities and special needs, and come from many different starting points. There is no ‘one size fits all’ approach and so we adapt the learning that each child receives so that it is accessible and appropriate, while maintaining the highest expectations in terms of outcomes.

The pathway that each Castles pupil follows is designed to be the most appropriate in terms of both learning style, curriculum and challenge for that student. For example, some pupils will flourish in a nurture group where they stay in the same classroom with the same teacher whilst others will succeed best in a more mainstream environment where they study a wide range of qualifications with different teachers. Others will be best suited to experiential learning and outdoor education. There is no single educational approach suitable for everyone.

At Castles, in all cases, we assess every pupils’ progress against a range of different measures throughout their academic journey. These measures are not just in relation to academic attainment. Depending on each individual pupil’s specific circumstances we would expect progress to be made in one, more or all of the following categories too.

PATHWAYS

Wellbeing
Including attendance, emotional regulation and behaviour

Social & Emotional

EHCP Targets

Academic progress
Including typical assessment data and obtained qualifications