St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary in North Somerset, and it is genuinely popular with local families. The school has 218 pupils on roll, slightly above its official capacity of 210, which already suggests a school that is full and in demand. The admissions data for the 2025/26 intake confirms this: there were 54 applications for just 25 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.16. Every one of those 25 places went to a first-preference applicant, meaning that even among families who ranked St Joseph's as their top choice, only about half were successful. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 9.2%, which is below the national average for primary schools (typically around 23%) and suggests a relatively affluent catchment. The school also has a nursery provision, so children can join from age three, and the headteacher is Greg Bath.

Academically, St Joseph's holds a Good rating from Ofsted, a grade it has maintained since at least its 2016 graded inspection. The most recent inspection, an ungraded visit in December 2021, confirmed that the school remains Good. The breakdown shows leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness all rated Good, with the early years specifically graded Good in the 2021 visit. The school's previous inspection in 2014 had rated it Requires Improvement, so the improvement to Good is a clear positive. While the data does not include specific KS2 SATs results or a Progress 8 score for this school, the local authority average for KS2 attainment in North Somerset is 61, and St Joseph's is not listed among the top three peer schools in the area (those are Northleaze, Winscombe, and St Peter's Church of England). That said, being oversubscribed and Good suggests solid academic performance that local parents trust.

The school offers a wide range of facilities for a primary of its size, including a forest school, sensory room, music rooms, art studios, a sports hall, and even a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, swimming, gymnastics, and rounders, and there are clubs such as book club, gardening, and art club. For families with children who have additional needs, the school lists SEND provisions covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, hearing impairment, and physical disability. The nearest Outstanding-rated school in the local authority is St Peter's Church of England Primary, just half a kilometre away, so families in this area do have a highly-rated alternative nearby. St Joseph's is best suited to Catholic families or those who value a faith-based primary with strong demand, a broad facility set, and a clear track record of improvement.

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