St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Thame

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Thame

Ofsted's Parent View survey, which ran from September 2024 to September 2025 and collected 81 responses, shows that 64% of parents would recommend St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Thame. That figure is worth considering alongside the school's admission data: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school was oversubscribed, with 63 applications for just 9 places and an oversubscription ratio of 7. While the majority of parents are positive, the survey also reveals some notable areas of concern. For instance, only 42% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that concerns are dealt with properly, and 22% strongly disagreed. Similarly, on the question of whether the school gives SEND children the support they need, just 39% agreed or strongly agreed, while 52% strongly disagreed. On the plus side, 90% of parents felt their child is happy at the school, and 87% felt their child is safe. The school is a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed pupils aged 4 to 11, with headteacher Elizabeth Sienkiewicz.

In its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2025, St Joseph's was rated Good across all five graded categories: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This is consistent with its previous inspection in 2012, which also rated overall effectiveness as Good. Academically, the school's Key Stage 2 results for 2023/24 show that 63% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is just above the Oxfordshire local authority average of 61%. However, the proportion reaching the higher standard in all three subjects was only 4%, and the school ranked 28th out of 48 primary schools in South Oxfordshire on this metric. In individual subjects, reading scores were stronger, with 83% reaching the expected standard and an average scaled score of 105, compared to 67% in maths and writing. Progress scores were not available in the data.

The school has a capacity of 210 and currently has 185 pupils on roll, with 13.5% eligible for free school meals. Facilities include an ICT suite, library, dining hall, gymnasium, art studios, chapel, sensory room and a Forest School. Sports on offer include football, netball, gymnastics, dance, athletics, rounders and cross country, while clubs include drama, eco club and gardening. The school's SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, social and emotional mental health needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. Given the oversubscription, families with a Catholic faith or strong local ties are likely to have an advantage in admissions. This school may suit parents who prioritise a Good-rated, faith-based primary with a broad range of facilities, but those with children who have SEND needs may want to investigate the support on offer more closely.

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