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Hastings · East Sussex
Ark Castledown Primary Academy
Academy sponsor led · ages 2–11 · 396 pupils
Part of ARK SCHOOLS
55% free school meals 22% English as an additional language (Year 6) 27% SEN support (Year 6)
Year 6 results
Reading, writing and maths
Share of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 2024/25.
| Year | School | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75% | 56% | 60% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 58% | 61% |
| 2024/25 | 78% | 61% | 63% |
| 3-year average | 76% |
49 pupils took the tests in 2025, so each child moves the school's result by about 2 percentage points. Results in small schools swing from year to year; the three-year average is steadier.
Average scaled scores in 2025: reading 104, maths 104 (100 is the expected standard). Higher standard in reading, writing and maths: 8%.
There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when the tests were cancelled. What do SATs scores mean?
Inspection
What Ofsted found
Report card published 11/01/2026. Ofsted grades each area on a five-point scale, from urgent improvement to exceptional.
| Inclusion | Exceptional |
| Curriculum and teaching | Strong standard |
| Achievement | Strong standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Early years | Strong standard |
| Leadership and governance | Strong standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
The local area
Children in East Sussex
| Measure | East Sussex | England |
|---|---|---|
| Good level of development at the end of Reception 2024/25 higher | 70.3% | 68.3% |
| Phonics check met in Year 1 2024/25 lower | 78.0% | 79.8% |
| Year 6 children living with obesity 2024/25 lower | 19.2% | 22.2% |
| MMR two doses by age 5 2024/25 higher | 85.9% | 83.7% |
| Primary pupils persistently absent 2024/25 higher | 14.5% | 13.0% |
| Children in relative low-income families (under 16) 2024/25 lower | 16.7% | 19.8% |
“Higher” or “lower” means the difference from England is bigger than the margin of error; “similar” means it isn’t. These are figures for all children in the council area, not for any one school or child.