St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Keighley
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Keighley, part of Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 11th-highest of the 32 schools in Keighley with published results, and 5,291st of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2016)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Bradford (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 82% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 73% in Bradford and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 66% in reading and 68% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 38 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 85 named it as one of their preferences, for 40 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 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 Ingrow Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 87% reading, 77% maths); Holycroft Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 60% reading, 63% maths); Beckfoot Nessfield (0.5 miles, Requires improvement, 77% reading, 64% maths); and Keighley St Andrew's CofE Primary School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good, 56% reading, 65% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Ingrow Primary SchoolHolycroft Primary SchoolBeckfoot NessfieldKeighley St Andrew's CofE Primary School and Nursery
The trust
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is one of 19 schools run by Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 19 schools in Blessed Christopher Wharton Catholic Academy Trust
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (as of September 2025): 81% would recommend the school, 83% say their child is happy there and 41% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (88%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (41%).
Who goes there
11.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (74%) and Asian (13%).
In 2026, 36 pupils (11%) received SEN support and 20 (6.1%) 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.
Getting there
The nearest tram or metro stop is Ingrow West (Keighley & Worth Valley Railway), about 420 metres away (roughly a 5-minute walk).
23 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Joseph's School (at), 10 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.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School issued 19 suspensions, 5.9 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 1 permanent exclusion.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School are Beckfoot Oakbank (0.5 miles); The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy (1.3 miles); and Carlton Keighley (1.6 miles).
Beckfoot OakbankThe Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary AcademyCarlton Keighley
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; Ofsted Parent View; 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from June 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's is a welcoming and inclusive school where all children flourish, including those with additional needs. The school excels at teaching reading and creating a love of learning, with engaging lessons and wonderful outdoor spaces for exploration. Parents hold the school in high esteem and appreciate the wide range of enrichment opportunities their children receive.
Key Strengths
- Highly effective approach to teaching reading, with well-resourced library and strong support for pupils at early stages of reading
- Excellent support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), who are quickly identified and well supported to access an ambitious curriculum
- Clear and ambitious vision for pupil achievement with carefully adapted lessons that help all pupils learn and thrive
- Strong inclusive environment where pupils are proud to showcase achievements and understand the importance of self-control and responsibility
- Engaging and relevant curriculum with outdoor learning spaces (the Burrow and Magic Garden) and educational visits that help pupils learn beyond the classroom
Areas for Improvement
- Foundation subjects lack clear learning objectives specifying what pupils should know and be able to do, limiting teaching effectiveness and creating gaps in understanding
- Curriculum does not teach pupils in sufficient depth about different world faiths and cultures, leaving them less prepared for life in modern British society
- Some foundation subjects need more explicit planned learning outcomes
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with an open and positive culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Junior Librarians programme, diversity assemblies, outdoor learning spaces (the Burrow and Magic Garden), educational visits, residential trips
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a kind and welcoming school where pupils enjoy learning and achieve well at each stage of their education. The school has maintained the standards identified at its previous inspection.
At a Glance
31.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 66% to 82% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 68% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 65% to 78% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.3
Avg class size
21.2
Infant (KS1)
30.0
KS2
12
Total classes
2 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's Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
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 Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 51
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 16
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 16 serious and 35 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 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 Primary School
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
- Bradford publishes last distance offered figures, but none for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Bradford 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
93%
Near capacity
292 pupils
315 places
23 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Keighley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Keighley
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,475
Applications
6,301
Got 1st preference
92.3%
Got preferred school
98.6%
All primary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
36
SEN Support
20
EHC Plans
17.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
327
Total Pupils
154
Boys
173
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
15
Teachers
21.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,389
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,448
Per pupil
£1804k
Total funding
£127k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
13.9%
Persistent absence
267
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, 82% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in June 2016, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Bradford 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 Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School average 27.3 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has around 327 pupils on roll. 32% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 13.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 51 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 16 serious and 35 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 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 Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is at Queen's Road, Ingrow, Keighley, West Yorkshire, BD21 1AR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)