St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Ramsbottom, a Voluntary Academy

About St Joseph's Roman Catholic Primary School Ramsbottom, a Voluntary Academy

For parents weighing up St Joseph’s, the numbers tell a reassuring story about how other families view the school. In the 2025/26 admissions round, the school received 30 applications for its 20 Reception places, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.5. All 20 first-preference applicants were offered a place, which suggests that while the school is popular, local families who put it top of their list have a strong chance of getting in. The school is a Roman Catholic voluntary academy in Ramsbottom, part of Bury local authority, and currently has 192 pupils on roll against a capacity of 210. That leaves some headroom, which may be a practical consideration for families with younger siblings or those moving into the area mid-year. The headteacher is Emma Graves, and the school offers nursery provision for children from age three.

Academically, St Joseph’s was rated Good in its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2023, with all five graded categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — each judged Good. This represents a change from its previous inspection in 2008, when it was rated Outstanding overall. The school’s Key Stage 2 results sit against a Bury local authority average of 64 per cent of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. While the school’s own KS2 figure is not provided in this data, the Ofsted report notes that pupils achieve well across the curriculum. The school supports a range of special educational needs, including specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, speech and language needs, social and emotional challenges, and autistic spectrum disorder, which suggests a broad approach to inclusion.

Beyond the classroom, St Joseph’s has a solid set of facilities for a primary of its size: a sports hall, gymnasium, playing fields, an ICT suite, a dining hall, and a chapel, plus a Forest School area for outdoor learning. Sports on offer include netball, athletics, cross country, swimming and dance, and there are clubs such as eco club, chess, film club, book club and choir. The school’s 15.3 per cent of pupils eligible for free school meals is slightly above the national average, indicating a mixed catchment. For Catholic families in Ramsbottom who want a faith-based primary with a Good Ofsted rating and a realistic chance of securing a place at first preference, St Joseph’s looks a solid, well-regarded option. The nursery provision also makes it convenient for families wanting a single-site route from age three through to Year 6.

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