St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary and Nursery School

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary and Nursery School sits comfortably above the Somerset average for its key stage 2 headline measure. While the local authority average for pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined sits at 59%, St Joseph’s achieves 73% — a clear 14 percentage points higher. That places the school 31st out of 134 primary schools in Somerset, putting it in the top quarter of the county. The school’s ranking score of 73 reflects solid, consistent performance rather than outlier results, and it’s worth noting that only six schools in the entire local authority hold an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. St Joseph’s itself was rated Good in its most recent graded inspection in March 2025, with all key areas — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management — judged Good. The early years provision also received a Good rating, which is reassuring for families considering the nursery.

Digging into the detail of the 2023/24 key stage 2 results, the school’s strengths become clearer. In reading, 88% of pupils met the expected standard and 30% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. Writing saw 82% at expected and 24% at the higher level. Maths was slightly lower: 76% at expected and 6% at the higher standard, with an average score of 103. The combined expected figure of 73% is the metric that drives the school’s strong ranking. The parent view, based on 52 responses collected between September 2024 and September 2025, is overwhelmingly positive: 94% of parents would recommend the school, and 92% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy there. On behaviour, 95% agreed the school ensures good conduct, and 92% felt their child does well. The only area where opinion was more divided was SEND support, where 70% agreed it was adequate but 30% disagreed or strongly disagreed.

The school is oversubscribed: for the 2025/26 intake, there were 66 applications for 34 places, with 37 first-preference applications and 34 offers made — a ratio of nearly two applicants per place. St Joseph’s is a Roman Catholic primary and nursery for children aged 3 to 11, with a current roll of 267 pupils against a capacity of 238, so it’s running above its official number. Facilities include a chapel, forest school, sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields and an ICT suite. Sports on offer include tennis, swimming, cricket and netball, and there are clubs for chess, choir and eco club. The school’s SEND register covers a broad range of needs, including autistic spectrum disorder, speech and language difficulties, visual impairment, and social, emotional and mental health needs. For Catholic families in Somerset who value a faith-based primary with strong academic outcomes and a good Ofsted rating, this is a popular choice — but you’ll need to apply early.

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