St. Joseph's Infant School
St. Joseph's Infant School is an academy converter in Chichester for pupils aged 2 to 7. It has 129 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St. Joseph's Infant School is Good, from an inspection in May 2019 of its predecessor, Lancastrian Infant School. Attendance is a concern: pupils missed 9.2% of sessions in 2024/25 (the national figure for primary schools is 5.2%), and 32% of pupils were persistently absent.
Ofsted inspection: January 2024.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 2-7 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Orchard Street Chichester West Sussex PO19 1DQ |
| Reference Number | 148286 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 129 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 53.49%
Girls: 46.51% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 16.9% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 30.2% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 18.4 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 22.2 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 | 16 | 33 |
| 2 | 18 | 13 | 31 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 51.9% |
| African | 10.9% |
| White, Other | 6.2% |
| Indian | 6.2% |
| Asian, Other | 5.4% |
| Mixed, Other | 4.7% |
| White & Black (African) | 2.3% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 1.6% |
| White & Asian | 1.6% |
| Caribbean | 1.6% |
| Pakistani | 1.6% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, Lancastrian Infant School, inspected in May 2019.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 09 Nov 2023 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 09 Nov 2023 | School inspection |
| 09 Dec 2020 | Academy conversion letter |
| 08 May 2019 | Full inspection: |
| Previously as Lancastrian Infant School | |
| 14 Mar 2017 | Full inspection: |
| 26 Sep 2012 | Full inspection: |
| 19 May 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 12 Jun 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 13 Mar 2001 | Full inspection |
Reception 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 | 11 | 5 |
| Third Preference | 20 | 1 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St. Joseph's Infant School had 115 pupils for 135 places. 20 places (14.8%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “CHICHESTER Primary” planning area
West Sussex counted 508 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 506 in 2029–30, down 0%.
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 135 | 135 | 135 | 135 | 135 |
| Pupils | 74 | 83 | 96 | 124 | 115 |
| Unfilled | 45.2% | 38.5% | 28.9% | 8.1% | 14.8% |
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 Infant School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 32.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 2.3% | 6.3% | 4.5% | 5.8% | 5.8% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.0% | 2.6% | 3.0% | 2.5% | 3.5% |
| Severely absent pupils | 1.8% | 1.6% | 4.0% | 2.0% | 4.0% |
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, 3.9% of pupils at St. Joseph's Infant School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 2.9 | 3.9 | 0.0 | 5.3 | 7.9 |
| Permanent exclusions | 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 Infant School had 18.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 11.1 | 13.1 | 9.3 | 9.8 | 7.8 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 70.6% | 20.0% | 38.5% | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 42.9% | 50.0% | 12.5% | 20.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 9.4 | 6.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | – |
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, 11.6% of pupils at St. Joseph's Infant School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.6% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Speech, language and communication needs | 9 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 3 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 0 | 2 |
| Moderate learning difficulty | 1 | 0 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 1 | 0 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 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 2024–25 St. Joseph's Infant School received £7,040 and spent £6,864 for each of its 151 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £18,000 (-£117 per pupil).
Across all 28 schools of Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust, income was £7,049 and spending £7,093 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | -£13,000 | -£60,000 | -£50,000 | -£18,000 |
| per pupil | -£175 | -£543 | -£330 | -£117 |
| In-year balance | -£102,000 | -£61,000 | -£22,000 | £27,000 |
| per pupil | -£1,325 | -£553 | -£146 | £176 |
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.
| Name | Distance |
|
St. Joseph's CofE Junior School
Orchard Street, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1DQ |
0.06 miles |
|
Parklands Community Primary School
Durnford Close, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 3AG |
0.33 miles |
|
St Richard's Catholic Primary School
Cawley Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1XB |
0.6 miles |
|
Jessie Younghusband Primary School
Acres Drive, Chichester, PO19 3RE |
0.78 miles |
|
Chichester Nursery School
St James Road, Chichester, PO19 7AB |
0.86 miles |
|
Portfield Primary Academy
St James Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7HA |
0.88 miles |
|
Rumboldswhyke CofE Primary School
Rumbolds Close, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 7UA |
1.02 miles |
|
Kingsham Primary School
Hay Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8BN |
1.05 miles |
|
Fishbourne CofE Primary School
Roman Way, Fishbourne, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 3QS |
1.27 miles |
|
The March CofE Primary School
Claypit Lane, Westhampnett, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0NU |
1.66 miles |
|
Westbourne House School
Coach Road, Chichester, PO20 2BH |
1.9 miles |
|
North Mundham Primary School
School Lane, North Mundham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 1LA |
2.06 miles |
|
Lavant Primary School
West Stoke Road, Lavant, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0BW |
2.09 miles |
|
Oakwood School
Oakwood, Chichester, PO18 9AN |
2.11 miles |
|
Bosham Primary School
Walton Lane, Bosham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8QF |
2.86 miles |
|
Tangmere Primary Academy
Bishops Road, Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 2JB |
3.22 miles |
|
Funtington Primary School
Heather Close, West Ashling, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8DR |
3.27 miles |
|
Boxgrove CofE Primary School
The Street, Boxgrove, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 0EE |
3.37 miles |
|
Birdham CE Primary School
Crooked Lane, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 7HB |
3.89 miles |
|
Chidham Parochial Primary School
Chidham Lane, Chidham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO18 8TH |
3.99 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
The Prebendal School
52-55 West Street, Chichester, PO19 1RT |
0.26 miles |
|
St Anthony's School
Woodlands Lane, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 5PA |
0.38 miles |
|
Chichester College Group
Westgate Fields, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1SB |
0.42 miles |
|
Bishop Luffa School, Chichester
Westgate, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 3HP |
0.65 miles |
|
Chichester High Schools Sixth Form
Kingsham Road, Chichester, PO19 8AE |
0.73 miles |
|
Chichester High School
Kingsham Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 8EB |
0.82 miles |
|
Fordwater School, Chichester
Summersdale Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 6PP |
0.83 miles |
|
Chichester Free School
Hunston Road, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 1NP |
1.35 miles |
All schools in Chichester · West Sussex local authority: places and applications
St. Joseph's Infant School is part of Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust, which runs 28 schools. The nearest others:
- St. Joseph's CofE Junior School Chichester
- The March CofE Primary School Chichester
- Heene CofE Primary School Worthing
- St Columba CE Primary School Fareham
- St Nicolas & St Mary CofE Primary School Shoreham-By-Sea
- St Blasius Shanklin CofE Primary Academy Shanklin
- Lanesend Primary School Cowes
- St Francis Catholic and Church of England Primary Academy Ventnor
- St Margaret's Church of England Primary School Crawley
- Newick Church of England Primary School Lewes
What is St. Joseph's Infant School's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St. Joseph's Infant School is Good, from an inspection in May 2019 of its predecessor, Lancastrian Infant School.
When was St. Joseph's Infant School last inspected by Ofsted?
St. Joseph's Infant School was last inspected in January 2024.
How many pupils does St. Joseph's Infant School have?
St. Joseph's Infant School has 129 pupils on roll.
What age range does St. Joseph's Infant School cover?
St. Joseph's Infant School for pupils aged 2 to 7.
Where is St. Joseph's Infant School?
St. Joseph's Infant School is at Orchard Street, Chichester, West Sussex, PO19 1DQ.