St Joseph's Catholic School

St Joseph's Catholic School is a smaller-than-average Catholic secondary school in Salisbury with well-above-average proportions of pupils receiving SEND support and above-average proportions with EHC plans. Safeguarding standards are met, and inspectors found a calm, purposeful and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, happy and part of a family-like community. The school's personal development and wellbeing provision is a strong standard, with a well-designed programme, strong house and leadership systems, embedded enrichment, and a structured careers programme. Attendance and behaviour, inclusion, and leadership and governance are all judged to be at the expected standard; pupils' attendance is in line with national averages, SEND pupils attend above national averages, and governors are said to hold leaders to account effectively. However, achievement and curriculum and teaching both need attention. Published outcomes show attainment and Progress 8 below national averages, with particular weaknesses in some key stage 4 curriculum areas and a large disadvantage gap in the data. Inspectors found that the curriculum is well sequenced and teachers have appropriate subject knowledge, but delivery is inconsistent: some teachers do not apply agreed routines reliably, do not check understanding accurately enough, and do not always adapt work well for pupils who struggle. Gaps in pupils' foundational knowledge in mathematics and handwriting remain, and expectations for written work are not consistently high across subjects. Leaders know what needs to improve, and there are plans and early signs of improvement, including effective reading interventions and better outcomes in some areas, but the impact is not yet embedded across the whole curriculum. The school has experienced significant leadership staffing changes, and leaders are working with experienced governors and clear priorities, though more remains to be done to secure consistently strong outcomes for all pupils.

Strengths

• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture where pupils feel safe.
• Personal development and wellbeing are a strong standard.
• The personal development curriculum gives pupils a broad understanding of consent, British values and healthy living.
• Pupils behave with integrity and contribute to a vibrant, cheerful atmosphere.
• The house system and pupil leadership roles build community and give pupil voice meaningful impact.
• Enrichment is timetabled for all pupils, with a wide range of clubs and reduced financial barriers.
• The careers programme includes mock interviews and work experience to prepare pupils for future options.
• Leaders have built an inclusive community where pupils feel a deep sense of belonging.
• Pupils value high-quality pastoral support and know there is a network of care around them.
• SEND identification is diligent, information is shared with staff, and external agency collaboration is effective.
• Attendance is in line with national averages, and SEND pupils' attendance is above national averages.
• Persistent absence is below the national average.
• Pupils are respectful, lessons are rarely disrupted, and bullying or discrimination is not tolerated.
• Governors are experienced, proactively involved and hold leaders to account.
• Staff feel respected and well supported with workload and professional development.
• The Catholic ethos and strong community are increasingly well regarded by parents.
• Reading interventions are well designed and having a positive impact.
• The curriculum is well sequenced and builds on prior learning.
• Teachers have appropriate subject knowledge to deliver the curriculum.

Areas for Improvement

• Achievement requires attention, with attainment in national examinations below that of peers nationally.
• Progress 8 is below the national average.
• Published data shows disadvantaged pupils' outcomes below national averages and a large disadvantage gap.
• End of key stage 4 results have been below average for some time in certain curriculum areas.
• Curriculum and teaching require attention due to inconsistent delivery.
• Some teachers do not apply the school's agreed approaches reliably.
• Recall and retrieval activities are not implemented consistently or effectively in some lessons.
• Teachers do not always check accurately what pupils know and can do.
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not addressed quickly enough.
• Some teachers do not use strategies intended to help pupils who struggle, so those pupils learn less securely.
• There is variability in how teachers implement SEND strategies, meaning some pupils do not fully access learning.
• Pupils have gaps in foundational knowledge of handwriting and mathematics, and support plans there are early-stage.
• Not all staff have consistently high expectations for the quality of pupils' written work.
• Curriculum improvements are not fully embedded and do not yet provide consistent secure improvement across the whole curriculum.
• Initiatives are being adopted by curriculum areas at different rates.
• The impact of improvement work is not yet embedded across the whole curriculum.

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 School attended 92.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 19.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.2% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Catholic School had 14.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 21.7% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 18.4% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.1% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 St Joseph's Catholic School received £8,929 and spent £8,730 for each of its 566 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £493,000 (£872 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 Salisbury · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

What is St Joseph's Catholic School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic School is Needs attention, from an inspection in September 2026.

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

St Joseph's Catholic School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic School have?

St Joseph's Catholic School has 565 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Joseph's Catholic School cover?

St Joseph's Catholic School for pupils aged 11 to 16.

What are St Joseph's Catholic School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 41.0, and 33% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is St Joseph's Catholic School?

St Joseph's Catholic School is at Church Road, Laverstock, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1QY.