St Joseph's Catholic Academy, Leicester
St Joseph's Catholic Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Leicester, part of St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 112th-highest of the 138 schools in Leicester with published results, and 11,625th of 14,452 across England. It was 76% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Leicester (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 61% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 71% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 75% in Leicester and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (66% in reading, 66% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Joseph's Catholic Academy
For September 2026 entry, 18 families put St Joseph's Catholic Academy as their first choice and 30 named it as one of their preferences, for 18 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at St Joseph's Catholic Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Academy are Scraptoft Valley Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 53% reading, 50% maths); Thurnby Mead Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 54% reading, 57% maths); Kestrel Mead Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); and Humberstone Infant Academy (0.7 miles, Good).
St Joseph's Catholic Academy's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Scraptoft Valley Primary SchoolThurnby Mead Primary AcademyKestrel Mead Primary AcademyHumberstone Infant Academy
The trust
St Joseph's Catholic Academy is one of 23 schools run by St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 23 schools in St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Multi Academy Trust
Who goes there
29.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (41%), Asian (21%) and Black (18%).
In 2026, 44 pupils (20.7%) received SEN support and 6 (2.8%) 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 a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Leicester Rail Station, about 2.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hartfield Road (adjacent), 270 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Joseph's Catholic Academy recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Joseph's Catholic Academy are Orchard Mead Academy (0.6 miles); Avanti Fields School (0.8 miles); St Paul's Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy (1.2 miles); and The City of Leicester College (1.4 miles).
Orchard Mead AcademyAvanti Fields SchoolSt Paul's Catholic School, a Voluntary AcademyThe City of Leicester College
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its May 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
22.1%
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 66% to 61% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 66% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.1
Avg class size
27.3
Infant (KS1)
24.4
KS2
9
Total classes
1 class 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's Catholic Academy
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Academy.
- Premier Education at St JosephsAt the school · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Academy is in Leicester; for families living there:
Apply to Leicester for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 20
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 3
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 20 slight.
3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
3 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 Leicester is 24.5 (the median across 142 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's Catholic Academy
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Academy.
- Leicester publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Joseph's Catholic Academy that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Academy for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Leicester 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
76%
Available places
213 pupils
280 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Leicester
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Leicester
Across Leicester council
Places available
4,828
Applications
3,626
Got 1st preference
96.8%
Got preferred school
99.3%
All primary applications across Leicester council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(6)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
44
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
23.5%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
213
Total Pupils
95
Boys
118
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
21.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,106
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,425
Per pupil
£1312k
Total funding
£80k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
10.9%
Persistent absence
192
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
St Joseph's Catholic Academy
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Academy
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 61% reached the expected standard in reading and 71% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2022, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Academy is oversubscribed, Leicester allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 76% of its 280 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Academy average 23.1 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic Academy has around 213 pupils on roll. 22% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
4.9% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Academy in 2024/25. 10.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
Apply through Leicester's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Academy 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's Catholic Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier Education at St Josephs (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's Catholic Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 20 slight. 3 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 3 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 Leicester is 24.5 (the median across 142 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic Academy is at Armadale Drive, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE5 1HF.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)