St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Leigh

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Leigh

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Leigh sits comfortably above the Wigan local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with 74% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the LA average of 65%. That nine-point gap places the school in the top quarter of all primary schools in the borough, ranked 28th out of 98. The school's overall Ofsted rating is Good, confirmed in an ungraded inspection in 2022, though its previous graded inspection in 2012 awarded Outstanding across the board. The current leadership and management are also rated Good. With 213 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, the school is effectively full, and the 20.7% of pupils eligible for free school meals is slightly above the national average for primary schools, suggesting a genuinely mixed intake that still achieves above the local norm.

Academic performance at KS2 is strongest in maths, where 94% of pupils met the expected standard and 32% reached the higher standard, with an average scaled score of 107. Reading is similarly robust: 90% at expected and 39% at the higher level, with an average score of 108. Writing lags a little, with 81% at expected and just 10% at the higher standard, which is a pattern seen nationally. The combined expected figure of 74% is a solid result, and the school's ranking in the top 29% nationally for this metric reflects consistent delivery. There are no Progress 8 scores available for primary schools, so it is not possible to measure how much value the school adds relative to pupils' starting points, but the raw outcomes are clearly above the Wigan average and place St Joseph's in the top 25% of primaries in the North West region.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a chapel, sensory room, music rooms and art studios, plus an outdoor playground and library. Sports provision covers football, gymnastics, cricket, swimming and dance, while clubs include gardening, book club, eco club, science club and art club. SEND support is in place for moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication difficulties, hearing impairment and other difficulties. Admissions are oversubscribed: for 30 places in 2025/26, there were 66 total applications and 35 first-preference applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.2. This is a Catholic primary that clearly serves its local community well, and families who value strong academic outcomes in a faith-based setting with good SEND provision will find it a realistic and popular choice within Leigh.

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