Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy

Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy is an outstanding primary school in every graded area: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was its first routine section 5 inspection, although the predecessor school had previously been judged outstanding; the school is part of the Holy Spirit Catholic Multi-Academy Trust and, under current arrangements, no overall effectiveness grade is awarded. Inspectors found a highly ambitious curriculum, reading at the heart of the school, exceptional support for pupils with SEND, and pupils who are safe, happy, confident and aspirational. Behaviour is exceptional, personal development is exceptional, and staff, parents, governors and trustees speak highly of the school. The report identifies no areas for improvement: safeguarding is effective, leadership is strong, and pupils benefit from a wide range of opportunities that prepare them well for their next steps.

Strengths

• Highly ambitious, carefully organised curriculum across subjects
• Strong focus on language, communication and early reading from Nursery
• Reading is at the heart of the school and pupils develop a love of reading
• Exceptional support for pupils with SEND, including those with complex needs
• Pupils behave exceptionally well and treat each other with respect and kindness
• Personal development is exceptional through the Holy Spirit Experience, Going for Gold and extensive activities
• Pupils are safe, happy, confident and aspirational
• Staff feel valued and well supported by school and trust leaders
• Strong, trusting partnerships with parents and carers
• Governors and trustees know the school well and provide effective support and challenge
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective

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 Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy attended 95.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 8.5% 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, 1.1% of pupils at Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy 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 Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy had 24.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 18.5% 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, 14.3% of pupils at Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy received £6,191 and spent £6,667 for each of its 562 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £240,000 (£427 per pupil).

Across all 24 schools of St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, income was £7,227 and spending £7,273 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 Nuneaton · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy is part of St Raphael the Archangel Catholic Multi-Academy Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• St Thomas More Catholic Academy and Sixth Form College Nuneaton
• St Anne's Catholic Academy Nuneaton
• St Francis Catholic Academy Bedworth
• St Benedict's Catholic Primary Academy Atherstone
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Kenilworth
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary Academy Rugby
• St Marie's Catholic Primary School Rugby
• Our Lady and St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Leamington Spa
• English Martyrs Catholic Primary School Rugby
• Trinity Catholic School Leamington Spa

What is Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy is Outstanding, from an inspection in April 2025.

When was Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy was last inspected in April 2025.

How many pupils does Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy have?

Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy has 572 pupils on roll.

What age range does Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy cover?

Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy?

Our Lady & St. Joseph Catholic Academy is at Riversley Park, Coton Road, Nuneaton, Warwickshire, CV11 5TY.