The Castle School
Community special school in Newbury (West Berkshire).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the Castle School. A very special school supporting children and young people with a variety of learning difficulties The Castle School is a very welcoming and open school with a caring and highly-specialised staff team who are committed to supporting the education of all our pupils and make our school a very special place.
We pride ourselves on our warm, caring and supportive atmosphere; a place where children can flourish, learn, enjoy and be happy; a community where we value and embrace support from parents, professionals and friends.
We cater for children with a variety of complex learning difficulties from the 4 to 19 years of age, offering a range of provision for different ages, stages and needs. At the heart of everything we do is inclusion. Our special school has been recognised for providing outstanding learning opportunities across a broad curriculum in school and in the wider community.
Please have a look around our website to see what amazing things our young people do. We hope you enjoy your visit.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Awards
4 awardsiFound on the school website by WhatSchool. Not verified by Governance Register; the school website is the authority.- Anti-Bullying CharterRecognised award
- ArtsmarkArts and culture
- Duke of EdinburghPersonal development
- UNICEF Rights Respecting SchoolsChildren's rights
Key facts
- URN
- 110182
- Type
- Community special school
- Phase
- Not applicable
- Ages
- 3 to 19
- Gender
- Mixed
- Sixth form
- Has a sixth form
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- West Berkshire
- Constituency
- Newbury
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Governing body (10 current, 2 former)
Special schools governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Helen Cabell | Chair of Governors | Appointed by LA | since 2025 · until 2029 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr Paul Van Walwyk | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2026 |
| Miss Emily Owles | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr Christopher James Fisher | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Jane Patricia Seymour | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mr William Alexander | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Nicola Markham | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2023 · until 2027 ends 2027 |
| Mr Charles Kowalski | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2022 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| Mrs Joanne Davis | Governor | Elected by school staff | since 2022 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| Mr Adrian Crawford | Governor | Elected by parents | since 2022 · until 2026 ends 2026 |
| Indira Hann Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr Jonathan Hewitt Former | Governor | Ex-officio by virtue of office as headteacher/principal | since 2011 · term ended 2026 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 1 November 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record