St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school in Lichfield for pupils aged 4 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 205 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in May 2026. In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: May 2026. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Voluntary aided school |
| Age Range | 4-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Cherry Orchard Lichfield Staffordshire WS14 9AN |
| Phone | 01543263505 |
| Reference Number | 124357 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 205 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 42.44%
Girls: 57.56% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 8.8% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 16.6% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 29.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 28.3 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 30 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 12 | 15 | 27 |
| 2 | 14 | 13 | 27 |
| 3 | 7 | 23 | 30 |
| 4 | 11 | 18 | 29 |
| 5 | 19 | 12 | 31 |
| 6 | 12 | 18 | 30 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 71.7% |
| White, Other | 9.3% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 3.4% |
| White & Asian | 3.4% |
| Irish | 2.4% |
| Indian | 2% |
| African | 2% |
| Unclassified | 1.5% |
| White & Black (African) | 1.5% |
| Chinese | 1% |
| Asian, Other | 1% |
| Mixed, Other | 0.5% |
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is performing strongly across all areas of education. The school is committed to a knowledge-rich curriculum that supports high levels of achievement for all pupils, including those with special educational needs. Attendance is consistently above national averages, reflecting effective leadership and strong relationships between staff and families. Pupils feel safe and are well supported both academically and emotionally, allowing them to thrive in a positive and inclusive environment.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Strong standard |
| > Leadership & Governance | Strong standard |
| > Personal Development & Wellbeing | Strong standard |
| > Achievement | Strong standard |
| > Attendance & Behaviour | Strong standard |
| > Curriculum & Teaching | Strong standard |
| > Inclusion | Strong standard |
| > Early Years | Strong standard |
| Last Report Date | 10 Mar 2026 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 10 Mar 2026 | School inspection |
| 11 Jan 2022 | School inspection |
| 08 Nov 2016 | Full inspection |
| 12 Jan 2012 | Full inspection |
| 30 Jun 2010 | Interim assessment |
| 18 Jan 2007 | Full inspection |
| 04 Mar 2002 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- High attainment levels by the end of Year 6.
- Strong focus on writing, enhancing composition and handwriting skills.
- High levels of pupil attendance and engagement.
- Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
- Well-planned personal development programme promoting respect and understanding.
- Strong collaborative culture among leaders, staff, and governors.
Areas for Improvement
- Disadvantaged pupils underperforming in teacher-assessed writing.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 79% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 10% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 108 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 3.5 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Writing | 2.7 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 2.7 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
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See how St Joseph's Catholic Primary School ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment
| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Second Preference | 26 | 1 |
| Third Preference | 15 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 2 | 1 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School had 207 pupils for 210 places. 3 places (1.4%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Lichfield Town South Primary” planning area
Staffordshire counted 276 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 338 in 2029–30, up 22%.
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 | 210 |
| Pupils | 213 | 209 | 205 | 216 | 210 | 210 | 207 | 213 | 210 | 211 | 206 | 209 | 214 | 209 | 207 |
| Unfilled | 0.0% | 0.5% | 2.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.4% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 1.9% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 1.4% |
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 Catholic Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.3% | 2.3% | 2.8% | 2.1% | 2.5% | 2.3% | 1.6% | 3.5% | 2.8% | 3.0% | 3.2% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.6% | 0.6% | 0.5% | 0.7% | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.2% | 0.9% | 1.2% | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.5% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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 Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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 Catholic Primary School had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 11.9 | 12.9 | 12.1 | 12.6 | 14.1 | 15.5 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 12.7 | 14.7 | 12.5 | 11.0 | 10.6 | 10.4 | 10.0 | 10.1 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 27.6% | 0.0% | 9.7% | 0.0% | 9.4% | 7.3% | 9.6% | 6.8% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 10.4% | 10.9% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 42.9% | 25.0% | 33.3% | 36.4% | 58.3% | 75.0% | 30.0% | 33.3% | 20.0% | – | 44.4% | 30.0% | 60.0% | 60.0% | – | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 2.6 | 12.5 | 9.8 | 1.4 | 10.2 | 5.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 3.5 | – | 23.6 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 1.1 | – | – |
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, 15.6% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate learning difficulty | 21 | 1 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 6 | 1 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 3 | 2 |
| Severe learning difficulty | 0 | 2 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 1 | 0 |
| Vision impairment | 1 | 0 |
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 Catholic Primary School received £7,213 and spent £7,411 for each of its 205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £205,000 (£999 per pupil).
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £109,000 | £106,000 | £156,000 | £192,000 | £190,000 | £221,000 | £245,000 | £205,000 |
| per pupil | £530 | £504 | £761 | £924 | £897 | £1,051 | £1,180 | £999 |
| In-year balance | £8,000 | -£3,000 | £50,000 | £36,000 | -£2,000 | £31,000 | £25,000 | -£41,000 |
| per pupil | £40 | -£14 | £242 | £175 | -£10 | £146 | £119 | -£199 |
Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).
| Name | Distance |
|
Five Spires Academy
Cherry Orchard, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9AN |
0.04 miles |
|
St Michael's CofE (C) Primary School
Cherry Orchard, Lichfield, WS14 9AN |
0.07 miles |
|
St Chad's CofE Primary School
St Michael Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6SN |
0.38 miles |
|
Scotch Orchard Primary School
Scotch Orchard, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6DE |
0.71 miles |
|
SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School
Dimbles Hill, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7NH |
0.82 miles |
|
Chadsmead Primary Academy
Friday Acre, Lichfield, WS13 7HJ |
0.95 miles |
|
Christ Church CofE (C) Primary School
Christ Church Lane, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8AY |
0.97 miles |
|
Willows Primary Academy
Willows Primary School, Off Weston Road, Anglesey Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7NU |
1.03 miles |
|
Charnwood Primary Academy
Purcell Avenue, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7PH |
1.05 miles |
|
Rocklands School
Purcell Avenue, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7PH |
1.07 miles |
|
Anna Seward Primary
Bridgeman Way, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 0AL |
1.07 miles |
|
Streethay Primary School
Yoxall Way, Lichfield, WS13 8FT |
1.24 miles |
|
Whittington Primary and Nursery School
Common Lane, Whittington, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9LG |
2.45 miles |
|
Fradley Park Primary and Nursery School
Murphy Street, Fradley, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8TW |
2.79 miles |
|
Greysbrooke Primary School
Barnes Road, Shenstone, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 0LT |
3.01 miles |
|
St Stephen's Primary School
Church Lane, Fradley, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8NL |
3.36 miles |
|
Fulfen Primary School
Rugeley Road, Fulfen Cp School, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 9BJ |
3.52 miles |
|
Highfields Primary Academy
Elder Lane, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 9BT |
3.79 miles |
|
The Howard Primary School
The Square, Elford, Tamworth, Staffordshire, B79 9DB |
4.15 miles |
|
Springhill Primary Academy
Mossbank Avenue, Chasetown, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 4UN |
4.22 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Saxon Hill Academy
Kings Hill Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9DE |
0.28 miles |
|
King Edward VI School
Upper St John Street, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9EE |
0.33 miles |
|
Beacon Independent School
Security House, Littleton Drive, Cannock, WS12 4TS |
0.43 miles |
|
Queen's Croft High School
Birmingham Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 6PJ |
0.52 miles |
|
Lichfield Cathedral School
The Palace, Lichfield, WS13 7LH |
0.59 miles |
|
Nether Stowe School
St Chad's Road, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7NB |
0.7 miles |
|
The Friary School
Eastern Avenue, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 7EW |
1.49 miles |
|
Maple Hayes Hall School
Abnalls Lane, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS13 8BL |
1.64 miles |
|
Longdon Hall School
Longdon Hall School, Longdon Green, Nr Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS15 4PT |
3.8 miles |
|
Shenstone Lodge School
Birmingham Road, Shenstone, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 0LB |
3.95 miles |
|
Options Trent Acres School
Alrewas Road, Kings Bromley, Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, DE13 7HR |
4.68 miles |
|
Chase Terrace Academy
Bridge Cross Road, Chase Terrace, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 2DB |
4.73 miles |
|
Erasmus Darwin Academy
Pool Road, Burntwood, Staffordshire, WS7 3QW |
4.96 miles |
All schools in Lichfield · Staffordshire local authority: places and applications
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is Strong standard, from an inspection in May 2026.
When was St Joseph's Catholic Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was last inspected in May 2026.
How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School have?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has 205 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School cover?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.
What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 79% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is at Cherry Orchard, Lichfield, Staffordshire, WS14 9AN.