St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has been inspected for the first time since becoming an academy in 2021 and is performing well overall with a 'Good' rating across all key areas. The school fosters a welcoming environment where pupils feel happy and safe, and they take pride in their diversity. Strong emphasis is placed on early years education, ensuring that children are well-prepared for later stages of learning. The leadership, supported by the Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, has implemented high standards and expectations, nurturing positive relationships among staff and students.

Strengths

• Pupils feel they belong and celebrate diversity.
• High expectations for pupil achievement are evident.
• Strong early years provision helps children develop well.
• Positive behaviour and a respectful school culture.
• Effective phonics teaching leading to good reading skills.
• Support for pupils with SEND is well-managed.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent use of assessment strategies leading to knowledge gaps.
• Lack of clarity in curriculum implementation across subjects.
• Limited opportunities in the broader enrichment 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 Primary School, Hartlepool attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.9% 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, 0.9% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool 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, Hartlepool had 13.0 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 50.0% 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, 23.1% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 0.0% 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, Hartlepool received £8,964 and spent £9,164 for each of its 102 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £138,000 (£1,355 per pupil).

Across all 35 schools of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,699 and spending £7,759 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 Hartlepool · Hartlepool local authority: places and applications

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool is part of Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust, which runs 35 schools. The nearest others:

• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool Hartlepool
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool Hartlepool
• English Martyrs Catholic School and Sixth Form College Hartlepool
• St Bega's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool Hartlepool
• St Teresa's Catholic Primary School Hartlepool
• St John Vianney Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool Hartlepool
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Billingham
• St Michael's Catholic Academy Billingham
• Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Academy Billingham
• St Paul's Catholic Primary School Billingham

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

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool is Good, from an inspection in February 2024.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool was last inspected in February 2024.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool has 78 pupils on roll.

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

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool'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, Hartlepool?

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Hartlepool is at Musgrave Street, Hartlepool, TS24 7HT.