St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is an academy converter in Barnoldswick for pupils aged 3 to 11. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It has 119 pupils on roll. The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in February 2023 of its predecessor, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Barnoldswick. In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Ofsted inspection: March 2024. KS2 results: 2025.
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Address | West Close Road Barnoldswick Lancashire BB18 5EN |
| Phone | 01282813045 |
| Reference Number | 150299 |
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 119 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 56.3%
Girls: 43.7% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 11% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 24.4% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 23.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 19 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 27 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | 4 | 13 |
| 2 | 8 | 7 | 15 |
| 3 | 8 | 10 | 18 |
| 4 | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| 5 | 12 | 6 | 18 |
| 6 | 8 | 8 | 16 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 65.5% |
| White, Other | 20.2% |
| Pakistani | 8.4% |
| Mixed, Other | 3.4% |
| Chinese | 1.7% |
| Unclassified | 0.8% |
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 Primary School, Barnoldswick, inspected in February 2023.
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Good |
| Last Report Date | This school has not had an inspection yet. |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 06 Mar 2024 | Academy conversion letter |
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 60% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 7% | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 105 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
| Maths | 106 | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment | Locked: unlock for £9.99, one-off payment |
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See how St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranks locally and nationally. Percentile rankings against every other school, historic result charts, admissions data and post-GCSE destinations are all included.
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Unlock for £9.99Reception admissions, 2026 entry
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| 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 | 5 | 2 |
| Third Preference | 20 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous years
Sample
UnlockPlaces and pupil numbers
In 2024–25 St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy had 113 pupils for 140 places. 27 places (19.3%) were unfilled.
Pupils and places
Reception intake in the “Pendle/Barnoldswick Primary” planning area
Lancashire counted 169 Reception pupils in this area in 2024–25 and forecasts 160 in 2029–30, down 5%.
| 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|
| Places | 140 | 140 |
| Pupils | 123 | 113 |
| Unfilled | 12.1% | 19.3% |
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, a Voluntary Academy attended 96.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 4.9% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).
Sessions missed
Pupils persistently absent
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Authorised absence | 3.1% |
| Unauthorised absence | 0.9% |
| Severely absent pupils | 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 primary School, a Voluntary Academy were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.
Pupils suspended at least once
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Suspensions per 100 pupils | 0.0 |
| Permanent exclusions | 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 primary School, a Voluntary Academy had 20.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 24.6% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).
Pupils per teacher
Teachers who left the school within a year
| 2025 | 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Pupils per adult | 8.7 | 10.0 |
| Teachers who left state teaching | 24.6% | – |
| Teachers who took any sick leave | 100.0% | – |
| Sick days per teacher | 11.7 | – |
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, 25.2% of pupils at St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.0% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).
Pupils by main type of need
| SEN support | EHC plan | |
|---|---|---|
| Moderate learning difficulty | 11 | 0 |
| Social, emotional and mental health | 10 | 1 |
| Autistic spectrum disorder | 3 | 2 |
| Specific learning difficulty | 4 | 1 |
| Speech, language and communication needs | 2 | 1 |
| Physical disability | 0 | 1 |
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, a Voluntary Academy received £8,046 and spent £7,813 for each of its 115 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £63,000 (£546 per pupil).
Across all 16 schools of The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust, income was £6,980 and spending £7,208 per pupil.
Income per pupil
Spending per pupil
| 2025 | |
|---|---|
| Revenue reserve | £63,000 |
| per pupil | £546 |
| In-year balance | £27,000 |
| per pupil | £232 |
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 |
|
Gisburn Road Community Primary School
Gisburn Road, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5LS |
0.2 miles |
|
Coates Lane Primary School
Kirkstall Drive, Coates Lane Primary School, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 6EZ |
0.53 miles |
|
Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School
Kelbrook Road, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5TB |
0.6 miles |
|
Salterforth Primary School
Cross Lane, Salterforth, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5UD |
1.32 miles |
|
Thornton in Craven Community Primary School
Cam Lane, Thornton-in-Craven, North Yorkshire, BD23 3SX |
2.06 miles |
|
Earby Springfield Primary School
Bailey Street, Earby, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 6SJ |
2.16 miles |
|
Kelbrook Primary School
School Street, Kelbrook, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 6UD |
2.27 miles |
|
Gisburn Primary School
Burnley Road, Gisburn, Clitheroe, Lancashire, BB7 4ET |
3.21 miles |
|
Foulridge Saint Michael and All Angels CofE Voluntary Aided Primary School
Skipton Road, Foulridge, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 7NN |
3.57 miles |
|
Blacko Primary School
Blacko Primary School, Gisburn Road, Blacko, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6LS |
3.82 miles |
|
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy
Red Lane, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 7JR |
3.91 miles |
|
Colne Lord Street School
Lord Street, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 9AR |
4.49 miles |
|
Park Primary School
Rutland Street, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 0QJ |
4.51 miles |
|
Colne Christ Church Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School
Bent Lane, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 7AA |
4.54 miles |
|
West Street Community Primary School
West Street, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 0HW |
4.61 miles |
|
Newtown Nursery School
West Street, Colne, BB8 0HP |
4.63 miles |
|
Lothersdale Primary School
Lothersdale, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD20 8HB |
4.74 miles |
|
Laneshaw Bridge Primary
Laneshaw Bridge Primary School, Emmott Lane, Laneshaw Bridge, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 7JE |
4.85 miles |
|
Colne Primet Primary School
Tatton Street, Tatton St. Colne Bb8 8je, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 8JE |
4.91 miles |
|
Barrowford School
Rushton Street, Barrowford, Barrowford Primary School, Nelson, Lancashire, BB9 6EA |
5 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
West Craven High School
Kelbrook Road, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5TB |
0.7 miles |
|
Colne Park High School
Venables Avenue, Colne, Lancashire, BB8 7DP |
4.19 miles |
All schools in Barnoldswick · Lancashire local authority: places and applications
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust, which runs 16 schools. The nearest others:
- St Stephen's Catholic Primary School and Nursery, A Voluntary Academy Skipton
- The Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School Ilkley
- St. Mary's Menston, a Catholic Voluntary Academy Ilkley
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Otley Otley
- Ss. Peter and Paul Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy Leeds
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, A Voluntary Academy Pudsey
- St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Horsforth Leeds
- Holy Name Catholic Voluntary Academy Leeds
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Harrogate, A Voluntary Academy Harrogate
- St John Fisher Catholic Academy Harrogate
What is St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
The latest Ofsted rating for St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Good, from an inspection in February 2023 of its predecessor, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Barnoldswick.
When was St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected by Ofsted?
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy was last inspected in March 2024.
How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 119 pupils on roll.
What age range does St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy cover?
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.
What are St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs (KS2) results?
In 2025, 60% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.
Where is St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is at West Close Road, Barnoldswick, Lancashire, BB18 5EN.