St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley is an academy converter in Chester Le Street for pupils aged 5 to 7. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 68 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley is Good, from an inspection in July 2019 of its predecessor, St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley.
Ofsted inspection: December 2024.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 5-7 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | Mitchell Street Birtley Chester le Street County Durham DH3 1LU |
| Reference Number | 148809 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 68 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 42.65%
Girls: 57.35% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 16.2% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 25% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 22.7 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 22.7 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 | 12 | 27 |
| 2 | 7 | 12 | 19 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 67.6% |
| Indian | 11.8% |
| African | 4.4% |
| Pakistani | 4.4% |
| White, Other | 2.9% |
| Mixed, Other | 2.9% |
| Asian, Other | 2.9% |
| White & Asian | 1.5% |
This school has not been graded since it changed URN, usually on converting to an academy. The rating shown is from its predecessor, St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley, inspected in July 2019.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | 22 Oct 2024 – no overall grade published for this inspection |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 22 Oct 2024 | School inspection |
| 05 Nov 2021 | Academy conversion letter |
| 03 Jul 2019 | Short inspection |
| Previously as St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley | |
| 06 May 2015 | Full inspection: |
| 29 Feb 2012 | Full inspection: |
| 09 Sep 2008 | Full inspection: |
| 26 Sep 2005 | Full inspection: |
| 20 Jun 2000 | 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 | 19 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 7 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 3 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley had 66 pupils for 90 places. 24 places (26.7%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “South LL & CH 7 Primary” planning area
Gateshead counted 177 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 151 in 2029–30, down 15%.
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Places | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Pupils | 88 | 77 | 65 | 66 |
| Unfilled | 2.2% | 14.4% | 27.8% | 26.7% |
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 Infant School, Birtley attended 96.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 5.0% | 3.5% | 3.4% | 2.4% |
| Unauthorised absence | 1.5% | 1.5% | 1.7% | 1.3% |
| Severely absent pupils | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% | 0.0% |
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, 0.0% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 | 3.9 | 1.6 | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 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 Catholic Infant School, Birtley had 19.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% 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 | 12.3 | 14.7 | 6.8 | 10.1 | 7.6 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 20.0% | 0.0% | 28.6% | 0.0% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | – | 37.5% | 37.5% | – | – |
| Sick days per teacher | – | 0.8 | 1.4 | – | – |
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, 25.0% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.4% 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 | 13 | 0 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 2 | 3 |
| No specialist assessment of need | 1 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 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 Catholic Infant School, Birtley received £9,216 and spent £9,540 for each of its 66 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £16,000 (£235 per pupil).
Across all 46 schools of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, income was £7,708 and spending £7,760 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £54,000 | £41,000 | £16,000 |
| per pupil | £701 | £644 | £235 |
| In-year balance | -£21,000 | -£2,000 | -£21,000 |
| per pupil | -£276 | -£33 | -£325 |
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 Catholic Junior School, Birtley
School Street, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2PN |
0.36 miles |
|
Ravensworth Terrace Primary School
Mount Pleasant Road, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 1AY |
0.4 miles |
|
Birtley East Community Primary School
Highfield, Birtley, County Durham, DH3 1QQ |
0.53 miles |
|
Portobello Primary School
Tamerton Drive, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2LY |
0.89 miles |
|
Barley Mow Primary School
Pembroke Avenue, Barley Mow, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2DJ |
1.06 miles |
|
Blackfell Primary School
Knoulberry, Blackfell, Knoulberry Washington, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 1HA |
1.26 miles |
|
Holley Park Academy
Ayton Road, Oxclose, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0LR |
1.27 miles |
|
Oxclose Nursery School
Brancepeth Road, Washington, NE38 0LA |
1.38 miles |
|
Oxclose Primary Academy
Brancepeth Road, Oxclose, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0LA |
1.4 miles |
|
St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington
Castle Road, Oxclose Village, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0HL |
1.4 miles |
|
Ouston Primary School
Arisaig, Ouston, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH2 1RQ |
1.42 miles |
|
St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston
St Benet's Way, Ouston, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH2 1QX |
1.51 miles |
|
Lambton Primary School
Caradoc Close, Lambton Village, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0PL |
1.6 miles |
|
Kibblesworth Academy
West View, Kibblesworth, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE11 0XP |
1.6 miles |
|
St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green
Off Pickering Green, Harlow Green, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 7HX |
1.63 miles |
|
Springwell Village Primary School
Westfield Crescent, Springwell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 7RX |
1.68 miles |
|
Harlow Green Community Primary School
Harlow Green Lane, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 7TB |
1.71 miles |
|
Rickleton Primary School
Vigo Lane, Rickleton, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 9EZ |
1.8 miles |
|
Albany Village Primary School
Crossgill, Albany, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 1UA |
1.9 miles |
|
St Oswald's Catholic Primary, Wrekenton
Easington Avenue, Wrekenton, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 7LH |
1.97 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
Lord Lawson of Beamish Academy
Birtley Lane, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2LP |
0.52 miles |
|
Oxclose Community Academy
Dilston Close, Oxclose Village, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 0LN |
1.33 miles |
|
The Cedars Academy
Ivy Lane, Low Fell, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 6QD |
2.08 miles |
|
Grace College
Saltwell Road South, Gateshead, NE9 6LE |
2.34 miles |
|
Washington Academy
Spout Lane, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE37 2AA |
2.35 miles |
|
Hill Top School
Wealcroft, Felling, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE10 8LT |
2.41 miles |
|
St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington
Biddick Lane, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8AF |
2.42 miles |
|
Biddick Academy
Biddick Lane, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8AL |
2.45 miles |
|
Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead
Old Durham Road, Beacon Lough, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 6RZ |
2.51 miles |
|
Furrowfield School
Whitehill Drive, Felling, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE10 9RZ |
2.74 miles |
|
Park View School
Church Chare, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 3QA |
3.02 miles |
|
Dryden School
Shotley Gardens, Low Fell, Gateshead, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE9 5UR |
3.12 miles |
|
XP Gateshead
Swards Road, Felling, NE10 9UZ |
3.13 miles |
|
Hermitage Academy
Waldridge Lane, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH2 3AD |
3.35 miles |
|
Heworth Grange School
High Lanes, Felling, Gateshead, NE10 0PT |
3.53 miles |
|
Ateres Girls High School
Willow Grove, Felling, Gateshead, NE10 9PQ |
3.53 miles |
|
Emmanuel College
Consett Road, Lobley Hill, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE11 0AN |
3.71 miles |
|
Gateshead Jewish Boarding School
10 Rydal Street, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 1HG |
3.99 miles |
|
Haskel School
53 Bewick Road, Gateshead, Tyne and Wear, NE8 4DR |
4.02 miles |
|
The Gateshead Cheder Primary School
The Dryden Centre, Evistones Rd, Gateshead, NE9 5UR |
4.21 miles |
All schools in Chester Le Street · County Durham local authority: places and applications
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:
- St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley Chester Le Street
- St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
- St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston Chester Le Street
- St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green Gateshead
- St Oswald's Catholic Primary, Wrekenton Gateshead
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
- St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington
- Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead Gateshead
- St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
- St Peter's Catholic Primary School, Low Fell Gateshead
What is St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley is Good, from an inspection in July 2019 of its predecessor, St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley.
When was St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley last inspected by Ofsted?
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley was last inspected in December 2024.
How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley have?
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley has 68 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley cover?
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley for pupils aged 5 to 7.
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley?
St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley is at Mitchell Street, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 1LU.
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