St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Parents considering St Joseph's Catholic Primary School will find a school that is clearly popular with local families. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 67 applications for just 29 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.31, meaning more than two families applied for every available spot. Of those 67 applications, 24 were first-preference choices, and 23 of those first-preference families were offered a place. This level of demand suggests strong local confidence in the school, though it also means securing a place is competitive. The school is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision on site. Headteacher Kelly Bosher leads a relatively small school of 238 pupils, just under its capacity of 244. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is low at 6.3%, well below the national average, which may reflect the demographic of the local area.

Academically, St Joseph's presents a mixed picture. In its most recent graded Ofsted inspection, carried out in 2012, the school was rated Good overall, with Good marks for leadership and management and for the quality of education. An ungraded inspection in October 2023 confirmed that the school remains Good. However, the previous inspection in 2011 had rated the school as Requires Improvement, so the upward trajectory is clear. At Key Stage 2 in the 2023/24 academic year, 53% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the West Berkshire local authority average of 57%, and places the school 34th out of 57 primary schools in the area, in the bottom half of the league table. Looking at individual subjects, 87% met the expected standard in maths, but only 63% did so in writing. The proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was 17%, and the average maths score was 106, with reading at 104.

The school offers a solid range of facilities and activities that should appeal to families looking for more than just classroom learning. There is a Forest School, a chapel, a sports hall, playing fields, a library and an outdoor playground. Sports on offer include football, rounders, gymnastics, cricket, dance, swimming and athletics, and there are clubs such as Eco Club, Gardening and Film Club. For families with children who have additional needs, St Joseph's provides support for a wide range of SEND categories, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given the oversubscription, families with a strong Catholic faith or a clear connection to the school's religious character will likely have an advantage in the admissions process. This is a school that suits families who value a faith-based primary education and are comfortable with its academic results being slightly below the local average.

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