Northampton school ranked in top 10 per cent of the country for progress

The combined progress score of +8.6 in reading, writing and maths means pupils at the St George's Street school on average make significantly more progress at Key Stage 2 as those nationally with similar starting points.

Progress scores are centred around 0, with most schools within the range of -5 to +5.

Pupils at Castle Academy, which is part of the East Midlands Academy Trust, performed particularly well in writing, scoring in the top five per cent nationally for progress during Key Stage 2.

Headteacher Lorna Beard said: “I’m very proud of our pupils and our staff for their hard work to achieve these incredible progress results.

“At Castle Academy, we are determined to support each and every child to do the very best they can, and these progress scores show that our pupils are exceeding expectations in the key areas of reading, writing and maths.”

The school’s attainment scores – the number of children achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths – place Castle Academy 23rd out of 125 schools whose pupils had similar attainment at Key Stage 1.

Joshua Coleman, chief executive of the East Midlands Academy Trust, said: “Our motto as a trust is that every child deserves to be the very best that they can be, and the staff at all of our schools are committed to supporting pupils to reach their full potential.

“These progress and attainment scores for Castle Academy are fantastic and a real testament to the dedication and hard work of Lorna and her team.”