St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy

About St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School in Pendle is clearly a popular choice among local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 41 applications for just 18 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.28. Of those 41 applications, 15 were first-preference choices, and all 15 of those families were offered a place. That level of demand suggests a strong reputation in the community, though it also means that securing a place is far from guaranteed unless the school is your top choice. The school is a voluntary academy with a Roman Catholic character, and it serves 115 pupils aged 3 to 11, with capacity for 140. Nursery provision is available, which may be a practical draw for families with younger children looking for a continuous primary pathway.

Academically, St Joseph’s holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained consistently across its two most recent inspections. The most recent graded inspection took place in February 2023, and inspectors rated every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — as Good. The previous inspection in 2013 also awarded Good overall. While the school’s specific Key Stage 2 SATs results are not published in this data, the local authority average for KS2 attainment across Lancashire primary schools is 60, which provides a useful benchmark. With 11.3 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals, the school serves a slightly below-average proportion of disadvantaged children compared with many state primaries, though the small cohort size of 115 means individual results can vary year to year.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including an ICT suite, sports hall, playing fields, music rooms, and a chapel, reflecting its Catholic foundation. Sports on offer include football, cricket, rounders, cross country, and dance, while clubs extend to drama, gardening, coding, eco club, and choir. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists support for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, and speech, language and communication needs. With a small, oversubscribed school in a semi-rural Lancashire borough, St Joseph’s will particularly suit Catholic families or those who value a faith-based primary with strong community demand and a broad extracurricular offer.

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