Ark Castledown Primary Academy
Priory Road, Hastings, TN34 3QT
403 pupils · 84% of 480 capacity
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 2–11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Does not apply
- Trust
- ARK SCHOOLS
- Local authority
- East Sussex
- Free school meals
- 51.9%
Ofsted
Strong standard (2025) — Report card — the most common grade across the inspected areas
| Inclusion | Exceptional |
|---|---|
| Curriculum and teaching | Strong standard |
| Achievement | Strong standard |
| Attendance and behaviour | Strong standard |
| Personal development and wellbeing | Strong standard |
| Leadership and governance | Strong standard |
| Early years | Strong standard |
| Safeguarding | Met |
Inspected 11 November 2025, published 11 January 2026. Read the full Ofsted report
England has three coexisting inspection systems — how we translate them into one signal.
Exam results
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Reaching the expected standard in reading, writing & maths | 78% |
| Reaching the higher standard | 8% |
“Not published (small cohort)” means the DfE suppressed the figure to protect small cohorts — it is not a zero.
Will my child get in?
Roughly one first choice per place — 0.98 first-choice applications per place (Sept 2026 entry)
| Entry | Places | 1st preferences | Total preferences | Offers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sept 2026 entry | 42 | 41 | 81 | 42 |
| Sept 2025 entry | 35 | 34 | 83 | 34 |
| Sept 2024 entry | 54 | 52 | 88 | 53 |
| Sept 2023 entry | 51 | 45 | 81 | 50 |
| Sept 2022 entry | 43 | 35 | 71 | 38 |
| Sept 2021 entry | 33 | 30 | 57 | 32 |
| Sept 2020 entry | 45 | 42 | 67 | 43 |
| Sept 2019 entry | 41 | 29 | 63 | 38 |
First-choice demand varies year to year, and the school’s admission criteria — not demand — decide who is offered a place. Use this as a rough signal, never a prediction.
Nearby alternatives
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School 0.4 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Mulberry Baird Primary 0.6 km · Requires improvement (2024) · previous system
- Dudley Infant Academy 0.6 km · Good (2019) · previous system
- All Saints CofE Junior Academy 0.9 km · Good — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Ark Blacklands Primary Academy 1.3 km · Outstanding — confirmed 2023 · previous system
- Sandown Primary School and Nursery 1.7 km · Standards maintained (2025)
Straight-line distance — not travel time, and not a catchment. Same phase, open schools only.
Data from DfE and Ofsted open data (OGL v3) — sources. School record updated 10 July 2026. Report incorrect data.