St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley

St Joseph’s Catholic Junior School, Birtley is a welcoming and highly inclusive school where pupils flourish, achieve exceptionally well and are very well prepared for secondary education. This was the school’s first routine section 5 inspection; it is an academy converter within the Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust and had previously been judged outstanding before opening as an academy. Inspectors found provision to be exceptional across all four key judgements, with no areas for improvement identified. Reading sits at the heart of an ambitious and coherent curriculum, and phonics teaching and support for pupils who need extra help are particularly strong. The school’s work on oracy is described as an area of excellence, helping pupils debate, challenge and ask questions. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities are identified quickly and supported expertly, while behaviour is exemplary, attendance is high and personal development is exceptional, enriched by trips, residential visits, clubs, charity work and sustainability activities. The trust and governors understand the school’s strengths and provide timely support and challenge. Staff speak highly of leaders and are proud to work at the school, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Overall, this is a highly effective school with no notable weaknesses flagged in the report.

Strengths

• Highly inclusive and welcoming culture where pupils flourish
• Very high aspirations leading to exceptionally strong achievement
• Reading-centred, ambitious and coherent curriculum across subjects
• Expert phonics teaching with effective support for pupils needing extra help
• Oracy work described as an area of excellence
• Curriculum meticulously designed and delivered skilfully with strong staff training
• Swift identification and expert adaptation for pupils with SEND
• Exceptional personal development covering diversity, charity and sustainability
• Exemplary pupil behaviour and positive attitudes in lessons and social times
• High attendance with effective support for pupils and families
• Wide range of trips, residentials and clubs that broaden experiences
• Strong trust and governor support and challenge
• Effective safeguarding arrangements
• Staff feel well supported and proud to work at the school

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 Junior School, Birtley attended 96.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.9% 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, 2.1% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley 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 Junior School, Birtley had 21.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 20.8% 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, 17.1% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 7.6% 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 Junior School, Birtley received £8,334 and spent £7,431 for each of its 97 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £183,000 (£1,885 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

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 Chester Le Street · Gateshead local authority: places and applications

St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley is part of Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust, which runs 46 schools. The nearest others:

• St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, Birtley Chester Le Street
• St Benet's Catholic Primary School, Ouston Chester Le Street
• St John Boste Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Anne's Catholic Primary School, Harlow Green Gateshead
• St Robert of Newminster Catholic School and Sixth Form College, Washington Washington
• St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• St Oswald's Catholic Primary, Wrekenton Gateshead
• St Bede's Catholic Primary School, Washington Washington
• Cardinal Hume Catholic School, Gateshead Gateshead
• St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Chester-Le-Street Chester Le Street

What is St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley is Outstanding, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley last inspected by Ofsted?

St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley have?

St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley has 105 pupils on roll.

What age range does St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley cover?

St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley for pupils aged 7 to 11.

What are St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 76% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley?

St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley is at School Street, Birtley, Chester le Street, County Durham, DH3 2PN.