St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy

Seventy-two per cent of parents who responded to the Ofsted Parent View survey would recommend St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy, a figure that sits alongside a clear signal of local demand: the school was oversubscribed for 2025/26 entry, with 29 applications for just 9 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 3.22. The 18 survey responses paint a nuanced picture. Strong majorities felt their child is happy (72% strongly agreed) and does well (67% strongly agreed), and 67% strongly agreed that pupils are well-behaved and feel safe. However, the school's handling of bullying drew a more divided response: 17% strongly agreed it is dealt with quickly, but 17% strongly disagreed, and 44% marked it as not applicable. Similarly, while 44% strongly agreed the school makes them aware of what their child will learn, 17% strongly disagreed. The headteacher is Mary Togher, and the school operates as a Roman Catholic state primary for children aged 4 to 11.

Academically, St Joseph's sits in the top half of Calderdale primary schools, ranked 25th out of 73 on the key stage 2 measure of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. That figure was 68%, comfortably above the Calderdale local authority average of 59%. In reading, 76% reached the expected standard and 40% hit the higher standard, with an average score of 107. Maths was stronger still: 88% reached the expected standard and 32% achieved the higher standard, with an average score of 106. Writing was slightly lower, with 80% at expected and 16% at the higher level. Nationally, the school sits in the 36th percentile for the same combined measure. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, rated it Good across all areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision, matching its previous Good rating from 2017.

The school site includes a chapel, library, music rooms, art studios, playing fields and a forest school, and pupils can choose from clubs including coding, science, film and book clubs, plus a choir. Sports on offer include football, tennis, swimming, cricket, athletics and rounders. The school has capacity for 210 pupils but currently has 146 on roll, and 21.2% are eligible for free school meals. SEND support is listed for moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulty or disability. For families prioritising a Catholic primary with strong core results and a forest school, St Joseph's is a popular choice, though the mixed parent feedback on communication and bullying suggests it is worth visiting to see if the school's day-to-day feel matches its academic strengths.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Joseph's Catholic Primary Academy

Helpful Guides for Parents