St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

If you are a parent weighing up St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Greenwich, the numbers suggest a school that local families clearly want to get into. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 46 applications for just 17 places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.71. Of those applications, 12 were first-preference choices, and all 12 received offers. That level of demand is a strong signal from the local community, though it is worth noting that the school's most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in 2023, rated it Good across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Its previous inspection in 2012 also rated it Good overall, so the school has maintained a consistent standard over time. With 136 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210, there is some physical room, but the high application numbers mean you will need to be confident in your admission criteria.

Academically, St Joseph's presents a mixed picture. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined. That is below the Greenwich local authority average of 71% and places the school 54th out of 57 primary schools in the borough. The school ranks in the bottom 50 nationally on this measure. However, the average scores in individual subjects tell a slightly different story: maths averaged 105 and reading 103, both above the national benchmark of 100. A higher proportion of pupils hit the expected standard in maths (75%) and writing (75%) than in reading (67%). At the higher standard, 38% achieved in maths, compared with 25% in reading and just 4% in writing. Progress scores are not available, so it is hard to say how much value the school adds, but the raw attainment is strongest in maths.

St Joseph's is a Roman Catholic primary with a strong practical offer. Facilities include a sensory room, art studios, music rooms, a chapel, a library, and outdoor playing fields. Sports on offer include netball, football, cricket, cross country, gymnastics and swimming, and there are clubs for science, art, eco and coding. The school has a notable range of SEND provisions, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Nearly half of pupils (49.3%) are eligible for free school meals, which is high and reflects the school's inclusive intake. For Catholic families in Greenwich, this is a popular, faith-based option with solid facilities and a clear pastoral focus, though the academic results are below the local average and the school is heavily oversubscribed.

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