St Joseph's RC Primary School

St Joseph’s RC Primary School continues to maintain a good standard of education for its pupils. The school fosters a positive and welcoming environment where students feel supported and engage actively in their learning. The curriculum has been strengthened since the last inspection, ensuring that students are generally well prepared for their next stages of education. Notable strengths include the happy demeanor of the pupils and their commitment to the school's values, which are evident in their behavior and participation in a variety of extracurricular activities. However, there are some areas where improvements are needed, particularly concerning the delivery of essential knowledge in certain subjects. Some teachers lack the necessary confidence and expertise, which impacts pupils' learning in those areas.

Strengths

• Pupils are well cared for and happy in school.
• The curriculum is well designed in most subjects.
• Teachers effectively deliver phonics and support reading.
• Strong personal development and respect for others is promoted.
• The school offers a variety of extracurricular activities.
• Pupils demonstrate good behavior and emotional regulation.

Areas for Improvement

• Some subjects lack a logical progression of essential knowledge.
• In a few subjects, teachers do not consistently deliver curriculum content effectively.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School attended 96.5% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 St Joseph's RC Primary School had 16.7 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 10.3% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.6% of pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Joseph's RC Primary School received £8,080 and spent £8,292 for each of its 145 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £42,000 (£289 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Ashton-Under-Lyne · Tameside local authority: places and applications

What is St Joseph's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's RC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in November 2023.

When was St Joseph's RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

St Joseph's RC Primary School was last inspected in November 2023.

How many pupils does St Joseph's RC Primary School have?

St Joseph's RC Primary School has 147 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Joseph's RC Primary School cover?

St Joseph's RC Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Joseph's RC Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Joseph's RC Primary School?

St Joseph's RC Primary School is at Market Street, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL5 0ES.