St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham is a small Catholic primary in the Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership. This full section 5 inspection found the school performing securely overall, with safeguarding standards met and most areas meeting expected standards. Pupils achieve well, especially in reading and mathematics, and benefit from a broad, well-sequenced curriculum, strong phonics teaching and inclusive support for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. Early years provision and personal development are particular strengths, and behaviour is calm, positive and rarely disrupted. The main area needing attention is attendance and behaviour, driven by attendance rather than conduct. Behaviour is very positive, and leaders have introduced clear systems that are beginning to improve attendance, but this work is still in its early stages and some pupils continue to miss important learning through absence. Leaders should keep embedding these systems so attendance rises further and persistent absence falls. Leadership and governance are accurate and ambitious, staff feel valued and well supported, and parents are positive about the school. Leaders also need to refine assessment systems so they are used consistently and effectively across all subjects. Overall, the school is in a strong position, with clear priorities for continued improvement.

Strengths

• Pupils make suitable progress and achieve well in national tests for reading, writing and mathematics.
• Reading is prioritised, with daily phonics taught accurately by well-trained staff.
• A broad, well-sequenced curriculum builds essential knowledge across subjects.
• Staff make appropriate adaptations so pupils with SEND learn alongside their peers.
• The early years environment is engaging and supports children's communication, language and early reading.
• Leaders have established an inclusive culture where pupils feel a strong sense of belonging.
• Disadvantaged pupils are well supported and achieve well.
• Behaviour is very positive, with pupils focused, respectful and rarely disrupting learning.
• Personal development is carefully planned and tailored to the school's ethos and local context.
• Pupils develop confidence, responsibility and empathy through leadership roles and enrichment activities.
• Leaders and governors have an accurate understanding of strengths and priorities for improvement.
• Staff feel respected, valued and well supported in their professional development and wellbeing.
• Safeguarding standards are met, with an open culture of safeguarding.
• Pupils benefit from effective pastoral support and positive relationships with staff.
• Parents and carers are positive about the school and engagement is improving.
• Transition from early years to Year 1 is thoughtful and helps address gaps.

Areas for Improvement

• Attendance requires continued improvement; some pupils still do not attend regularly enough.
• Persistent absence, while reduced, remains a concern and improvement is in the early stages.
• Leaders should continue embedding attendance systems so attendance rises further.
• Assessment systems need further refinement for consistent and effective use across all subjects.

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, Aylesham attended 92.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 26.0% 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, 2.5% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham 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 Catholic Primary School, Aylesham had 20.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 12.8% 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, 25.0% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.7% 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 2024–25 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham received £7,951 and spent £7,498 for each of its 118 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £220,000 (-£1,863 per pupil).

Across all 30 schools of Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, income was £6,963 and spending £6,776 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Canterbury · Kent local authority: places and applications

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham is part of Kent Catholic Schools' Partnership, which runs 33 schools. The nearest others:

• St Anselm's Catholic School, Canterbury Canterbury
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School Deal
• St Edmund's Catholic School Dover
• St Richard's Catholic Primary School Dover
• Stella Maris Catholic Primary School Folkestone
• Ursuline College Westgate-On-Sea
• St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Whitstable Whitstable
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Hythe
• St Gregory's Catholic Primary School, Margate Margate
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Broadstairs Broadstairs

What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham's Ofsted rating?

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

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

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

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham has 140 pupils on roll.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham?

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Aylesham is at Ackholt Road, Aylesham, Canterbury, Kent, CT3 3AS.