St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Plymouth

Ofsted's report card from its 9 June 2026 inspection grades St Joseph's Catholic Primary School on 7 areas: 1 expected standard and 6 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "Leaders have designed a well-considered personal development programme."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Leaders have not secured strong enough outcomes."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Over the last 3 years, too many pupils, including those who are persistently absent, have not attended school regularly enough."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "Leaders have not ensured sufficient consistency in the quality of teaching."

Early years - Needs attention. "Leaders have not secured consistently strong teaching in the early years."

Inclusion - Needs attention. "Staff accurately identify pupils' needs."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Since the last inspection, there have been significant changes in senior leadership and staffing."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should take swift action to improve the quality and consistency of teaching across the school, ensuring that effective teaching supports all pupils to secure the key knowledge they need to be successful in reading, writing and mathematics"; "Leaders should ensure that teachers throughout the school use assessment information effectively to check pupils' understanding and adapt their teaching accordingly, so that all pupils, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), develop the knowledge they need to be successful across the curriculum"; "Leaders need to ensure that all staff share the same high expectations by ensuring that all pupils demonstrate positive behaviour during lessons, so that no learning time is wasted"; "Leaders should continue their work to improve pupils' attendance and reduce rates of persistent absence, so that all pupils, including those who have SEND and those who are disadvantaged, benefit from regular attendance".

In its own words: "At St Joseph’s it is our mission to provide a safe, caring and welcoming Catholic community. Our patron saint, St Joseph, was known as the silent saint, his humility inspires our school community everyday to show patience, love and acceptance to all. We believe in nurturing the whole child through Christian values and virtues."

From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Our Class 3 page, here you will find curriculum information, updates about our learning and important upcoming events. This term, we will be focusing on the story' Coming to England' by Baroness Floella Benjamin. This is an inspiring autobiographical account of her childhood journey moving from Trinidad to 1960s London."

The school runs a breakfast club, from £4 per day.

In 2025, 67% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 67% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Plymouth and 77% and 75% across England.

Results were similar in 2024 (68% in reading, 64% in maths).

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 35 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 47 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.2 first choices for every place. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School are Marlborough Primary Academy (0.3 miles, Good, 80% reading, 76% maths); Mount Wise Community Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 59% reading, 51% maths); Stoke Damerel Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 72% reading, 75% maths); and High Street Primary Academy (0.6 miles, Good, 63% reading, 63% maths).

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is one of 34 schools run by Plymouth Cast, an academy trust.

Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.

The nearest railway station is Devonport Rail Station, about 750 metres away (roughly a 9-minute walk).

20 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Chapel Street (nw-bound), 70 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Joseph's Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 560 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Plymouth (196), as is usual near a town centre.

In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School issued 4 suspensions, 2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School are UTC Plymouth (0.4 miles), Devonport High School for Boys (0.6 miles), Stoke Damerel Community College (0.9 miles) and Scott Medical and Healthcare College (0.9 miles).