Castles Education Review 2026: Specialist SEMH provision with a structured, personalised curriculum (ages 7 to 16)

This is an independent specialist setting designed for children and young people whose Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) identifies social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs as the primary need. The model is clear, small groups, high staffing support, and a timetable that mixes academic learning with practical and enrichment activity to rebuild engagement with education. The published capacity is 110 places for ages 7 to 16.

The inspection story matters here because many families will be comparing this option against local authority provision, alternative provision, and other independent specialist settings. The most recent routine inspection by the Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI), carried out 14 to 16 January 2025, concluded that the school met the Independent School Standards across leadership, education, wellbeing, personal development, and safeguarding.

For parents, the practical headline is fit. This is not a conventional all through school, even though it teaches across key stages. It is a specialist placement route, and admissions are typically handled through local authority consultation as part of the EHCP process, rather than a standard annual application round.

The school’s public messaging centres on personalised learning, nurture, and preparation for life, and that framing is consistent with the practical systems described across its policies and SEND information. The day begins with form time and a nurture breakfast, and routines are designed to reduce friction, support regulation, and create a predictable rhythm for pupils who may have struggled in prior settings.

PRIDE values, purpose, respect, integrity, determination, and excellence, appear as a common language for expectations and behaviour. They show up not only on marketing pages but also in the way the school describes linking personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE) to values and behaviour routines. This matters because SEMH settings succeed when adults use shared language consistently.

Staffing is presented as multi layered rather than purely classroom based. The SEND information report describes both an SEN team and a separate care team that supports pupils in and out of lessons, including designated rooms for pupils to use when overwhelmed. It also sets out named roles such as the headteacher, associate headteacher, deputy headteacher for inclusion, a SENDCo, emotional literacy support assistants (ELSAs), and family liaison practitioners. For families, that structure signals a school that expects dysregulation and builds capacity around it, rather than treating incidents as exceptions.

Castles Education is measured in national datasets alongside mainstream secondaries, but parents should interpret those figures through the lens of a specialist SEMH placement. Cohorts can be highly mobile, pupils may join mid key stage, and part time timetables can be used for reintegration where appropriate.

Ranked 4,330th in England and 3rd in the Gainsborough area for GCSE outcomes (FindMySchool ranking based on official data), the school sits below England average overall, within the bottom 40% of schools in England on this measure.

The detailed GCSE metrics available here reinforce that this is not an exam driven setting in the mainstream sense. For example, the published proportion achieving grade 5 or above in the English Baccalaureate (EBacc) measure is 0%. That is not unusual in specialist SEMH provision where pupils’ programmes prioritise engagement, core literacy and numeracy, and a small number of qualifications that fit individual starting points.

A practical way to use this section is comparative rather than absolute. If your child is already on track for a full EBacc diet and a conventional GCSE package, this may not be the right environment. If your child needs a carefully supported route back into sustained learning, GCSE and functional skills outcomes are only one part of the picture.

The school describes an “aspirational and clearly sequenced curriculum” from Key Stage 2 through Key Stage 4, with emphasis on literacy, numeracy, digital skills, and preparation for adulthood and employment.

Delivery is explicitly tailored. The SEND information report sets out small groups, typically a maximum of six students with two staff, with additional 1:1 or 2:1 staffing where funding and need require it. In Key Stages 2 and 3, the model described is high consistency, with staff staying with a class through the day; in Key Stage 4, specialist teachers rotate to reduce transitions for students who find movement and change difficult.

The 2025 ISI report adds useful texture on what teaching looks like when it is working well. It describes meticulous planning, staff adapting resources and approaches to support both learning stage and emotional development, and a focus on subject vocabulary. It includes concrete examples such as practical science exploring force on a spring and mathematics using concrete resources to support conceptual understanding.

Reading is treated as a priority intervention area rather than a passive expectation. The school’s SEND information describes phonics intervention and baseline testing to identify gaps, alongside literacy and numeracy intervention programmes. For families who have lived through attendance gaps or repeated exclusions, this focus on foundational skills is often the difference between short term compliance and long term re entry to learning.

Because the age range runs to 16, the key transition is post 16. The school describes careers and next step preparation through PSHE and, where appropriate, work experience and vocational pathways.

Formal destination figures are not published in the data provided here, so parents should treat transition planning as a due diligence topic. Useful questions at visit stage include: which local colleges pupils most commonly move on to, how the school supports applications and interviews, what happens for pupils who need supported internships or specialist post 16 settings, and how the school coordinates with local authority SEND teams to secure provision in time.

Admissions here are fundamentally different from mainstream routes. The school states that it has places for pupils aged 7 to 16 who have an EHCP identifying SEMH needs as the primary need, and that parents and carers should approach their local authority first so the authority can consult the school as part of the statutory process.

This has two implications for families. First, there is no single annual deadline that applies in the way it does for Reception or Year 7 applications in most areas. Second, the “fit” conversation is central, local authorities must consider suitability, efficient education for other pupils, and efficient use of resources, and the school’s response to consultation is part of that decision making.

If you are considering a move for September 2026 entry, plan backwards from EHCP annual review and interim review points. The earlier SEND caseworkers have up to date evidence, professional reports, and a clear rationale for placement, the smoother consultation tends to be.

The wellbeing framework is explicit, and that transparency is helpful for parents. The SEND information report references emotional literacy support, wellbeing sessions, and structured social skills interventions (for example Talkabout), as well as programmes aimed at SEMH needs. It also references Lego Therapy as a structured way to build communication and collaboration skills.

Behaviour is described in policy as communication, rooted in unmet need or stress response, with emphasis on nurture principles, consistent adult responses, and strategies that help pupils regulate and repair. The policy also references tools commonly used in SEMH settings such as Zones of Regulation and restorative practice.

The strongest single reassurance point is safeguarding. The ISI routine inspection in January 2025 judged safeguarding to be effective and confirmed that the Independent School Standards relating to safeguarding were met.

In specialist settings, “extracurricular” often blends into curriculum because engagement is the first goal. Historic inspection reporting referenced weekly enrichment including music, drama and gaming, alongside activities such as go karting, paintballing and sailing to build social confidence and positive peer interaction.

The current published SEND information adds more detail on structured options and enrichment at Key Stage 4, including Duke of Edinburgh, mechanics, construction, and hair and beauty, plus off site pathways and work experience placements where appropriate. The practical implication is breadth. A pupil who disengages in a traditional classroom may re engage through a vocational or outdoor thread, then build confidence back into English and mathematics.

The 2025 ISI report also references mechanics provision, outdoor learning, and physical education facilities as part of inspection activity, reinforcing that practical and active learning is a meaningful part of the model rather than an occasional add on.

As an independent specialist school, funding is typically associated with EHCP placements agreed with the placing local authority, rather than a conventional fee paying model for families. The school’s public admissions information directs parents and carers to work through their local authority in the first instance.

The school does not publish a 2025 to 2026 fee schedule on its main website pages reviewed for this report. The most recently available published fee information located in official inspection documentation predates the 2025 to 2026 academic year and should be treated as indicative only. Families should confirm current funding arrangements directly with their local authority SEND team and the school’s admissions team.

The published “typical school day” runs from 9.00am to 2.30pm, with form time and a nurture breakfast early in the morning and staggered lunch to suit classes.

Transport is presented as a core operational element, managed by an in house team, with the stated aim of supporting readiness for learning and strengthening home school communication.

The school also describes an on site kitchen and cafeteria providing breakfast, lunch and snacks, including for off site activities. For pupils with SEMH needs, consistent routines around meals and breaks can be as important as lesson structure.

• EHCP requirement and placement route. Admission is tied to local authority consultation through an EHCP, so timelines depend on statutory processes and evidence, not standard school application windows.

• A non standard timetable. The published day ends at 2.30pm, and part time timetables may be used for reintegration where appropriate. This can be supportive for some pupils, but it may create childcare and transport complexity for families.

• Qualifications breadth. The latest inspection notes that qualifications and accreditations available did not fully reflect the breadth of curriculum studied, and recommended extending accreditation options. Ask how this has progressed for 2025 and 2026 cohorts.

• Mainstream comparison is rarely fair. GCSE performance indicators can look weak when compared to mainstream schools, but they do not capture the full purpose of a reintegration and SEMH model. Be clear about whether your priority is exam intensity or re engagement with education.

Castles Education is best understood as a specialist SEMH setting with a clear operational model, small group teaching, and an emphasis on regulation, relationships, and gradual re entry to sustained learning. The latest inspection evidence supports a picture of improved structure and effective safeguarding, alongside a curriculum that includes practical and vocational strands alongside core learning.

Who it suits: children and young people with an EHCP for SEMH needs who require high adult support, predictable routines, and a curriculum that blends academic, practical, and therapeutic elements to rebuild confidence and participation.