Dear Parents/Carers
I am hugely proud of our school and the achievements of our students, in particular within the Arts, Music and Sports. At The Castle School, we value strong positive relationships and this makes the school such a vibrant and lively place to work. I would encourage you to attend our open mornings so you can see the school in action and meet our wonderful students. This will give you the opportunity to imagine your child here and see that this is the right school for you and your family.
The history and tradition of The Castle School is what makes it such a privilege to be part of this family. Our aim continues to be for every child to achieve, belong and participate and this is at the heart of everything we do at The Castle School. Rated as Outstanding by Ofsted, we have been for some years now not only at the top of the performance table in Somerset but in the top 5% of schools nationally for academic achievements. You can see our latest exam results on our website.
We believe that education should empower young people, giving them the knowledge to make sense of the world and grow into citizens who make a difference. This must be supported by a curriculum that gives students the power to think for themselves, shaped by what they need to know, understand and fulfil, in order to have happy, successful and prosperous lives.
Please take a look at The Castle Magazine (link on the right) and see all the amazing things our students have been doing; it's a wonderful reflection of the last academic year and really demonstrates the commitment to our aim that every child achieves, belongs and participates.
We look forward to your family being part of our success.
Mr James Lamb
Headteacher
As parents/carers and students, you know how seriously we take student safety and welfare. Last year, a significant concern was raised nationally relating to a culture of misogyny and sexual harassment in many schools, with the DfE and Ofsted reviewing school procedures. Please find Ofsted's review document below, which we have read and understood fully as a school. We would like to think that students would come to us if they had a concern, but understand that may not always be the case. The government had set up a helpline for anyone wishing to report abuse or seek support, which has now closed. However, you could still contact the NSPCC if you wished - the phone number is 0808 800 5000 or email at help@nspcc.org.uk. You may also find the NSPCC webpage useful: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse & Keeping Children Safe | NSPCC
If you have a safeguarding concern you should contact the school office in the usual way. If you are unable to do this, please email:
safe@castle.bep.ac and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
If your concern is urgent, you should consider contacting the emergency services or the Children's Social Care duty team on 03001232224.
At The Castle School we recognise that keeping our students safe and promoting their well-being is of paramount importance and it scaffolds all we do as a school. If you have any concerns at all, please contact our safeguarding lead, Sarah Sherring, during term time. Please also see below a list of useful numbers:
Useful contact numbers:
Keeping Children Safe in Education
What is Somerset Big Tent?
Somerset Big Tent is a partnership of Charities, Charitable Incorporated Organisations and Community Interest Companies. These are organisations that provide a range of services including positive activities, therapeutic services and specialist support to increase positive wellbeing and improve mental health within children and young people aged 5-25 in Somerset.
All services on the Somerset Big Tent website have gone through a quality and safety assurance process, this means that Somerset Big Tent has met with each organisation and are satisfied with the key documents and information that they have provided us with. You can find out further information about this process.
