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.

Academically, the school performs strongly. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 79% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, well above the Lancashire local authority average of 60%. A notable 29% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects. Reading scores were particularly impressive, with an average scaled score of 111 and 57% of pupils reaching the higher standard. Maths followed closely with an average score of 108 and 36% at the higher level. The school's most recent graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2019, rated it Outstanding across every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in December 2024 confirmed that standards have been maintained, with all areas still judged Outstanding. The previous inspection in 2013 had rated the school Good, so this represents a clear improvement.

The school offers a range of facilities including a sensory room, forest school area, chapel, art studios, and playing fields. Sports on offer include tennis, football, gymnastics, cricket, athletics, dance and rounders, while clubs include drama, choir and film club. SEND provision covers speech, language and communication needs, physical disabilities, and other difficulties or disabilities. Parent View responses, collected between September 2024 and September 2025, were overwhelmingly positive: 95% of the 43 respondents would recommend the school, and 100% agreed or strongly agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. The school suits families who value a strong Catholic ethos, high academic expectations, and a close-knit community feel. Given its oversubscription, early application is essential, and it is particularly well suited to those living within the parish or with a clear Catholic commitment.

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