St Josephs Catholic Primary School, Lancaster

About St Josephs Catholic Primary School, Lancaster

St Josephs Catholic Primary School in Lancaster is a small state primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 4 to 11, run by Lancashire local authority. It sits at the bottom of the local league table for its school type, ranked 46th out of 46 primary schools in the Lancaster area based on KS2 reading, writing and maths expected standards. The top-performing peers nearby include Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School and St George's Church of England Primary School in Chorley. The school is heavily oversubscribed for 2025/26, receiving 53 applications for just 21 places, with 20 first-preference offers made. That demand suggests strong local attachment, even as the school works through a period of change. Its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024 rated overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement, a step up from its previous Inadequate rating in 2019, with personal development now judged Good.

Academically, the school’s KS2 results for 2023/24 are well below both the local and national averages. Just 13% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Lancashire average of 60%. In reading, 19% met the expected standard, with no pupils reaching the higher standard; in writing, 25% met expectations, again with none at the higher level. Maths fared slightly better, with 38% at the expected standard and 6% at the higher standard. Average scaled scores were 95 in reading and 96 in maths, both below the national benchmark of 100. The school ranks in the bottom 50 nationally for this combined measure, placing it at the 99.6th percentile from the bottom. Over half of pupils (51.3%) are eligible for free school meals, which is a high proportion and likely a factor in the school’s context, though the data does not include progress scores to show how much value the school adds.

The school offers a range of facilities including an ICT suite, library, music rooms, outdoor playground, forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers football, cricket, cross country, swimming and dance, while clubs include chess, coding and choir. SEND support is broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication issues, visual impairment, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. The school is Roman Catholic in character, though the data does not specify admission criteria beyond oversubscription figures. For families considering St Josephs, the key trade-off is clear: it is a popular, faith-based community school with improving Ofsted grades and strong local demand, but its academic outcomes are currently among the weakest in the area. The nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is St Bernadette's Catholic Primary School, 3.1 km away, which may be worth exploring for parents prioritising results.

Key Details

Frequently Asked Questions About St Josephs Catholic Primary School, Lancaster

Helpful Guides for Parents