St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S

St Joseph’s Catholic Primary School has received its first routine inspection since becoming an academy in 2021 and is performing well overall, with an overall effectiveness rated as good and personal development rated as outstanding. Pupils are happy and safe, demonstrating strong behaviour and a pride in their school, while actively engaging in a curriculum that links to their Catholic values. Despite the positive environment and leadership, concerns were identified in the support provided for some pupils in key stage 1, particularly in reading and writing interventions, which are impacting their progress.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate strong behaviour and take pride in their school.
• The curriculum has high expectations with a focus on vocabulary development.
• Pupils with SEND receive specialist equipment and support.
• Personal development of pupils is outstanding with numerous enrichment opportunities.
• The school fosters a positive community ethos reflecting Christian values.

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils, particularly in key stage 1, are not receiving appropriate support to catch up in reading and writing.
• Details in the curriculum for some subjects are lacking, causing gaps in pupils' understanding.

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 B/S attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.7% 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, 0.2% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S 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 B/S had 27.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 23.5% 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, 9.9% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.5% 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 B/S received £6,141 and spent £5,760 for each of its 424 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £920,000 (£2,171 per pupil).

Across all 9 schools of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust, income was £6,831 and spending £6,781 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 Bishop'S Stortford · Hertfordshire local authority: places and applications

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S is part of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 9 schools. The nearest others:

• St Mary's Catholic School Bishop'S Stortford
• St Thomas of Canterbury Catholic Primary School Ware
• Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Ware
• St Augustine's Catholic Primary School Hoddesdon
• St Cross Catholic Primary School Hoddesdon
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Hertford) Hertford
• St Paul's Catholic Primary School Cheshunt
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) Waltham Cross

What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S is Good, from an inspection in February 2023.

When was St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S last inspected by Ofsted?

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S was last inspected in February 2023.

How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S have?

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S has 436 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S cover?

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S?

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School B/S is at Great Hadham Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 2NL.