St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in Birkenhead is performing well, achieving a 'Good' rating overall in its first inspection since becoming an academy. The school fosters a positive atmosphere where pupils feel happy and safe, significantly contributing to their personal development and engagement with learning. High expectations from staff help maintain a calm and purposeful environment, allowing pupils, including those with special educational needs, to thrive academically and socially. However, the school recognizes the need to finalize and enhance the curriculum in some subjects to ensure all pupils acquire necessary knowledge and skills effectively.

Strengths

• Pupils have a strong sense of community and contribute positively through various charity initiatives.
• High standards of behaviour are maintained, resulting in a calm and focused learning environment.
• Effective teaching of reading, supported by skilled staff and well-implemented phonics programs.
• Pupils, including those with SEND, receive adequate support to help them succeed academically.
• A broad range of enrichment activities is available, promoting students' interests and skills.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum has not been finalized in some subjects, affecting how well pupils learn.
• Some subject leaders lack the necessary knowledge to effectively support teachers.

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, Birkenhead attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 14.9% 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, 0.4% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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, Birkenhead had 19.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 3.2% 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, 9.7% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.0% 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 St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead received £6,194 and spent £7,122 for each of its 265 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £56,000 (-£211 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust, income was £8,250 and spending £8,645 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 Prenton · Wirral local authority: places and applications

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead is part of Holy Family Catholic Multi Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• St John Plessington Catholic College Wirral
• St Alban's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Wallasey
• Our Lady of Pity Catholic Primary and Nursery School Wirral
• St Mary's Catholic College, A Voluntary Academy Wallasey
• SS Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Wallasey
• St Bernard's Roman Catholic Primary & Nursery School Ellesmere Port
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Runcorn
• Our Lady's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Warrington

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead is Good, from an inspection in December 2022.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead was last inspected in December 2022.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead has 237 pupils on roll.

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

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

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

In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Birkenhead is at Woodchurch Road, Oxton, Prenton, Merseyside, CH43 5UT.