St Joseph Catholic Primary School, Watford
St Joseph Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Watford. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2017. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 12th-highest of the 29 schools in Watford with published results, and 4,824th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was full in 2025, at 101% of capacity.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2017)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 82% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 86% in reading and 72% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Joseph Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 39 families put St Joseph Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 87 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 10 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Joseph Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph Catholic Primary School are Warren Dell Primary School (0.3 miles, Outstanding, 73% reading, 88% maths); Oxhey Wood Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 88% reading, 88% maths); Greenfields Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 87% reading, 87% maths); and Woodhall Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 72% reading, 61% maths).
St Joseph Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Warren Dell Primary SchoolOxhey Wood Primary SchoolGreenfields Primary SchoolWoodhall Primary School
Who goes there
15.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 42.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (49%) and Asian (16%).
In 2026, 83 pupils (34.7%) received SEN support and 6 (2.5%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
St Joseph Catholic Primary School had 16 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Carpenders Park Rail Station, about 770 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
21 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Harewood Road (opposite), 120 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Joseph Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from February 2017, 9 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Outstanding.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its February 2017 inspection - up from Good.
Rated Outstanding for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
15.5%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 86% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 72% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 75% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
29.9
Avg class size
30.5
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
8
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Joseph Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph Catholic Primary School.
- Kids Choice Oxhey Wood480m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Joseph Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph Catholic Primary School is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 8
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at St Joseph Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Joseph Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
101%
Over capacity
211 pupils
210 places
1 pupil over capacity in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Watford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Watford
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
83
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
37.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
239
Total Pupils
118
Boys
121
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
16
Teachers
14.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£53,207
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,826
Per pupil
£1329k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
11.0%
Persistent absence
182
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St Joseph Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Joseph Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 82% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2017, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Joseph Catholic Primary School average 29.9 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph Catholic Primary School has around 239 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St Joseph Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 11% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph Catholic Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does St Joseph Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Joseph Catholic Primary School: Kids Choice Oxhey Wood (480m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 8 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 6 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on a bicycle. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph Catholic Primary School is at Ainsdale Road, South Oxhey, Watford, Hertfordshire, WD19 7DW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)