St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Warrington is a state-funded primary for children aged 4 to 11, with a current roll of 231 pupils against a capacity of 240, meaning it is very nearly full. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 6.5%, which is notably low compared to the national average, suggesting a relatively affluent intake. Demand for places is strong: for the 2025/26 academic year, the school received 43 applications for just 18 places, an oversubscription ratio of 2.39 to one. Of those, 16 were first-preference applications, and exactly 16 first-preference offers were made, indicating that the school is a popular first choice for local families but that securing a place is competitive. The school has a Roman Catholic religious character, which will be a factor in its admissions criteria, and is led by headteacher Alan Saunders.

Academically, St Joseph's performs around the middle of the pack in Warrington. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 65% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is slightly below the local authority average of 69%. The school ranks 36th out of 55 primary schools in Warrington on this metric, placing it in the top 50% of the LA. At the higher standard, 7% of pupils achieved the higher benchmark across all three subjects. Individual subject scores are more encouraging: average scaled scores of 106 in maths and 107 in reading are both above the national baseline of 100, and 86% of pupils met the expected standard in both reading and maths individually. Writing is a relative weak spot, with 70% reaching the expected level and only 14% hitting the higher standard. In its most recent Ofsted inspection, the school was rated Good overall, with Outstanding early years provision and Good marks for leadership and management.

The school offers a solid range of facilities including a gymnasium, sports hall, ICT suite, music rooms, a chapel and a sensory room, which will appeal to families looking for a well-resourced primary. Sports on offer include football, cricket, gymnastics and cross country, while clubs cover drama, science, choir and book club. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, speech and language needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. Parent View responses, based on 46 respondents, show 80% would recommend the school, though there are mixed views on SEND support: 36% strongly agreed that SEND children get the support they need, but 18% strongly disagreed. The school is oversubscribed, so families with a Catholic connection or living nearby should prioritise it early. It suits those who value a faith-based primary with good core academic results and a broad range of activities.

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