St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Rotherham
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Rotherham. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 52nd-highest of the 67 schools in Rotherham with published results, and 12,330th of 14,452 across England. It was 88% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 75 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Rotherham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 1 Nov 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Hello and a warm welcome to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School. We believe every child deserves the opportunity to thrive and through gospel values, we create an inclusive and supportive learning community with our mission of 'Love one another as I have loved you' at the heart of everything we do."
The school runs after-school care, from £1.50 per day.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 59% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 72% and 72% in Rotherham and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 73% in reading and 73% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 30 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 38 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 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 Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School are Rawmarsh Ryecroft Infant School (0.5 miles, Good); Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 62% reading, 71% maths); Rawmarsh Rosehill Junior School (0.6 miles, Good, 90% reading, 83% maths); and Rawmarsh Sandhill Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 64% reading, 79% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
Rawmarsh Ryecroft Infant SchoolRawmarsh Ashwood Primary SchoolRawmarsh Rosehill Junior SchoolRawmarsh Sandhill Primary School
Who goes there
46.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Parkgate Platform to Sheffield, about 1.2 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Green Lane/The Grove (adjacent), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Joseph's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 229 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, shoplifting and anti-social behaviour. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Rotherham (146), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School issued 35 suspensions, 18.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School are Rawmarsh Community School (0.7 miles) and Thrybergh Academy (1.7 miles).
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; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's provides a warm, inclusive community where children are happy and keen to learn. The school excels at teaching children to read fluently from an early age and offers exceptional support for pupils with additional needs. Parents can be confident their child will develop confidence, good behaviour and be well-prepared for the next stage of their education.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching of phonics and reading with effective support for pupils who need extra help
- Excellent support for pupils with SEND through robust identification systems and bespoke teaching adaptations
- High standards of behaviour, respect and pupil well-being in a highly inclusive school
- Ambitious curriculum in core subjects (English and maths) with teachers using subject-specific language to build understanding
- Strong early years provision with focus on vocabulary development and independence
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers need to select learning activities that link more closely to curriculum aims in wider subjects to help pupils develop deeper understanding
- The school's systems for monitoring how well the curriculum is being implemented need further development to support ongoing improvements
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with the school maintaining strong policies and a positive culture that prioritises pupil safety.
Extracurricular Activities
Theatre visits, zoo trips, reading ambassadors programme, school council, Mini Vinnies, play leader roles, breakfast club
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a Good school where pupils are happy, proud and well-supported. The school has an ambitious curriculum and provides a nurturing environment that prepares pupils well for secondary education.
At a Glance
46.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 73% to 67% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 73% to 59% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 67% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.7
Avg class size
24.3
Infant (KS1)
26.8
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Rotherham
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
- The Lime Trees at Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School890m away · Not yet graded
Nurseries
The nearest nurseries and pre-schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, with their latest published grades:
- Fenwood House Day Nursery Rawmarsh - Day nursery, 0.4 milesOfsted, 5 July 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- Granby House Nursery - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted, 1 July 2022: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
- Victoria Park Hall Day Nursery - Day nursery, 0.7 milesOfsted, 6 September 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
- The Lime Trees At Monkwood Primary School - Day nursery, 0.9 miles
- Piccadilly Pre-school - Pre-school, 1.3 milesOfsted, 20 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
Term dates
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Rotherham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is in Rotherham; for families living there:
Apply to Rotherham for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 21
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 8
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 12 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot.
7 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 Rotherham is 13 (the median across 128 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight are DfT estimates (severity adjustment). 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 Primary School
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
For 2026 entry it had 30 first choices for 30 places. The report sets your home postcode against these figures.
£9.99 once (inc. VAT; £19.99 for up to three schools), or Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time. What's in the report
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
88%
Available places
185 pupils
210 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Across Rotherham council
Places available
3,506
Applications
2,863
Got 1st preference
94.3%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All primary applications across Rotherham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Future places in the local planning area
DfE estimates the Rawmarsh Primary planning area (Rotherham) will have 393 spare primary places in 2027/28.
Source: Department for Education, School capacity: Academic year 2024/25 (published 19 March 2026), estimates of future school place demand by planning area. Council pupil forecasts against reported places, counting places councils and DfE plan to add or remove; rounded to whole places. Explore Education Statistics
Inspection History(11)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
29
SEN Support
10
EHC Plans
21.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
180
Total Pupils
89
Boys
91
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
18.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£44,302
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,143
Per pupil
£1373k
Total funding
£126k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.0%
Overall absence
15.9%
Persistent absence
176
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 Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 67% reached the expected standard in reading and 59% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in February 2024.
Is it hard to get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 88% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School average 25.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has around 180 pupils on roll. 46% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
6% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 15.9% of pupils were persistently absent.
Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026). Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School: The Lime Trees at Rawmarsh Ashwood Primary School (890m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 21 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 8 serious and 12 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot. 7 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 Rotherham is 13 (the median across 128 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is at Green Lane, Rawmarsh, Rotherham, South Yorkshire, S62 6JY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)