St Mary & St Joseph Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

About St Mary & St Joseph Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy

St Mary & St Joseph Catholic Primary School is a small Roman Catholic state primary in the East Riding of Yorkshire, and it is genuinely oversubscribed. The school has 115 pupils on roll against a capacity of 112, meaning it is effectively full. For the 2025/26 intake, it offered 14 first-preference places from 30 total applications, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.14. That means more than two families applied for every available spot, and all 14 first-preference offers were taken up, leaving no room for second or third choices. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 10.5%, which is below the national average for primary schools (typically around 23-24%) and suggests a relatively less deprived intake than many schools nationally. The school serves children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site, and is led by headteacher S O'Donnell. Its Catholic character is likely a key factor in its popularity, particularly for local families seeking a faith-based primary education.

Academically, St Mary & St Joseph performs solidly above the local authority average. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the East Riding average of 61%. That places the school 28th out of 106 primaries in the local authority, putting it in the top third locally and the top 30% nationally. At the higher standard, 7% of pupils achieved the top scores across all three subjects. Subject-level results are strong: 93% met expectations in writing, 86% in maths, and 79% in reading. Average scaled scores were 104 in both reading and maths, which is above the national benchmark of 100. The school's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2023, rated it Good across all categories — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — maintaining the same overall rating it held in its previous inspection a decade earlier.

The school offers a notably broad set of facilities for a primary of its size, including a sports hall, gymnasium, library, music rooms, sensory room, chapel, forest school area, and an ICT suite. Sports provision covers cross country, rounders, dance, gymnastics, netball and tennis, while clubs include gardening, chess and art club. The school has identified SEND provisions for social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, and other difficulties or disabilities. Given its oversubscribed status and faith designation, families who are not practising Catholics or who live outside the catchment area may find it harder to secure a place. This is a school that suits families who value a small, community-focused Catholic primary with strong academic outcomes, good facilities, and a clear demand from local parents.

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