St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green

About St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School, Hurst Green

St Joseph’s Roman Catholic Primary School in Hurst Green punches well above the local average for its type. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 88% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Lancashire local authority average of 60%. That gap of 28 percentage points is striking, and it places the school fourth out of 25 primary schools in the Ribble Valley, putting it in the top 16% of its immediate area. Nationally, it ranks in the top 3.3% of all primary schools on this measure. The school’s overall ranking score of 88 places it in the top five tier locally, though it sits behind three other primaries in the same authority. For a small school with just 106 pupils on roll, these results suggest a focused and effective approach to core academic skills.

Digging into the detail, the school’s performance is particularly strong in reading and maths. Every single pupil (100%) reached the expected standard in both reading and maths, and around half achieved the higher standard in each — 50% in reading and 44% in maths. In writing, 88% met the expected standard and 50% reached the higher mark. The combined higher standard across all three subjects was 25%, which is solid for a primary of this size. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in May 2024 rated it Good overall, with personal development judged Outstanding. Behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and the quality of education were all rated Good. The early years provision was also Good. This is a slight step down from its previous inspection in 2008, when it was rated Outstanding overall, but the current judgement still reflects a school that is performing well above the typical Lancashire primary.

The school has a strong Catholic character and offers a nursery provision for children from age three. Facilities include a library, playing fields, a sports hall, a forest school and a chapel, and there is a good range of clubs such as art, coding and science. For pupils with additional needs, the school provides support for speech, language and communication. Admissions data for 2025/26 shows the school is oversubscribed: it received 23 applications for 14 places, with 16 first-preference applications and 14 offers made to first-preference families. That gives an oversubscription ratio of 1.64, meaning competition for places is real but not extreme. With only 2.8% of pupils eligible for free school meals, the intake is relatively affluent. This school will particularly suit families who value strong academic outcomes in a small, faith-based setting, and who are prepared to apply early given the oversubscription.

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