St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby

About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wetherby sits within the Leeds local authority, where it ranks 89th out of 204 primary schools based on the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. That places it comfortably in the top half of schools in the area, though it is some way behind the three top-performing peers nearby: Harewood Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School and Shadwell Primary School, both with a ranking score of 90, and St Philip's Catholic Primary School on 87. The school is oversubscribed, with 72 applications for 27 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, and 23 of those came as first preferences. It is a Roman Catholic state primary for mixed genders aged 3 to 11, with a nursery provision attached. The headteacher is Karen Williams, and the school currently has 234 pupils on roll, which is above its stated capacity of 210.

Academically, St Joseph's performs above the Leeds local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 66% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, compared with a LA average of 61%. The school's average scores in reading and maths were 106 and 105 respectively, and 17% of pupils achieved the higher standard across all three subjects. In maths specifically, 28% reached the higher standard, and 79% met the expected standard. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection in March 2025 rated it Good overall, with Outstanding marks for early years provision and personal development. Behaviour and attitudes, quality of education, and leadership and management were all judged Good. This represents a change from the previous inspection in 2013, when the school was rated Outstanding across the board.

The school offers a range of facilities including a gymnasium, library, outdoor playground, playing fields and a chapel. Sports on offer include netball, tennis, rounders, cross country and athletics, while clubs extend to book club, coding, gardening, film club and chess. SEND provisions cover specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, autistic spectrum disorder and other difficulties. Parent View responses from 80 families between September 2024 and September 2025 were overwhelmingly positive: 98% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy, and 94% felt their child is safe. 88% would recommend the school to others. This is a school that suits families looking for a faith-based primary with strong early years provision, above-average outcomes and a clear sense of community, though oversubscription means securing a place is competitive.

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