St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell
About St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell is a small Roman Catholic primary in Lancashire, sitting within the Chorley local authority. Among the 480 state primary schools in Lancashire, it ranks 50th, placing it comfortably in the top tier locally. Its closest peers in the authority include Crawford Village Primary School, New Longton All Saints CofE Primary School, and St George's Church of England Primary School, Chorley, all of which score highly on the same ranking metric. The school is heavily oversubscribed: for its 8 places in the 2025/26 admissions round, it received 38 applications, with all 8 first-preference families offered a spot. That works out at nearly five applicants for every place, a clear sign of its reputation among local families. With 99 pupils on roll against a capacity of 105, it is running close to full, and just 6.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the national average.
Key Details
The full report on this school
What 43 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.
- Ofsted inspection in plain EnglishStrengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
- Parent View survey resultsWhat parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
- Where Ofsted and parents disagreeGaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
- Admissions & catchmentAdmission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
- Nearby schools comparedBackup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
- Attendance & behaviour dataPersistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
Ofsted Inspection Breakdown
17 Dec 2024Latest monitoring visit (17 Dec 2024): Standards maintained
Source: Ofsted, 14 Nov 2019. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.
Facilities
7Facilities may vary. Contact the school for current availability.
Extracurriculars
10Sports
Clubs & Activities
Activities may vary by term. Contact the school for current offerings.
SEND Support
Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.
School day
Teaching hours
08:50 – 15:25
Breakfast club
08:00-08:55
After-school care
15:15-17:45
Source: stjosephswithnell.co.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.
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