St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton, Chorley
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in Chorley. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2010. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in February 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 28th-highest of the 40 schools in Chorley with published results, and 9,396th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2010)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Lancashire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton in detail
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, hockey, cricket, athletics, gymnastics, basketball, yoga, dance, choir and guitar.
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 71% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton reached the expected standard in reading and 74% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 76% 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, Anderton
For September 2026 entry, 29 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton as their first choice and 69 named it as one of their preferences, for 29 places offered. That is one first choice for every place. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton are Anderton Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 65% reading, 65% maths); Adlington St Paul's Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 89% reading, 74% maths); Adlington Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 81% reading, 71% maths); and Rivington Foundation Primary School (1.2 miles, Good, 86% reading, 93% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Anderton Primary SchoolAdlington St Paul's Church of England Primary SchoolAdlington Primary SchoolRivington Foundation Primary School
What parents say
66 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 72% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child is happy at the school (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (72%).
Who goes there
8.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 0% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 25 pupils (13.9%) received SEN support and 5 (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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Adlington (Lancs) Rail Station, about 760 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
7 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Rothwell Road (by), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 70 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and vehicle crime. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton issued 6 suspensions, 3.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 November 2010, 15 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's February 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's creates a welcoming environment where children thrive academically and emotionally. The school excels at building strong relationships and teaching pupils to be compassionate and kind through its embedded values. With a well-structured curriculum and excellent support for early reading, your child will have a strong foundation for learning.
Key Strengths
- Warm, inclusive school community where pupils feel valued and show deep understanding of respect and equality
- Strong early years curriculum that gives children a flying start and builds positive learning foundations
- Excellent promotion of reading with enthusiastic pupils and effective phonics support for those who need extra help
- Well-designed curriculum that builds knowledge progressively from Year 1 to Year 6
- Effective strategies to improve pupil attendance and strong support for families
Areas for Improvement
- Assessment checks on pupil learning are sometimes ineffective, meaning teachers don't always spot gaps in knowledge and some pupils lose focus
- Identification of pupils with special educational needs (SEND) is not precise enough, so some pupils don't receive the support they need
- Support provided to some pupils with SEND does not always help them progress well through the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with clear systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Leadership roles (prefects, digital leaders), visits to nature reserves, overnight residentials
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a warm and welcoming place where pupils are happy and well-behaved. The school has been rated Good across all key areas, with a particularly strong early years provision.
At a Glance
8.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
66 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 declined from 93% to 71% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 74% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 86% to 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
25.7
Avg class size
28.7
Infant (KS1)
23.5
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton
Newsletter Friday 18th Sept 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter Friday 11th Sept 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter Friday 4th Sept 2026
4 Sep 2026
From St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton.
- Mad Science at Anderton Primary School320m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Lancashire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
2 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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, Anderton
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Lancashire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Lancashire 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
89%
Available places
178 pupils
200 places
22 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Chorley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chorley
Across Lancashire council
Places available
15,442
Applications
12,122
Got 1st preference
91.3%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
25
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
16.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
180
Total Pupils
99
Boys
81
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
20.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,016
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,141
Per pupil
£1003k
Total funding
£26k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.8%
Overall absence
5.9%
Persistent absence
152
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, Anderton
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 71% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton's most recent Ofsted inspection, in February 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in November 2010, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton is oversubscribed, Lancashire 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, Anderton?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 200 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton average 25.7 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton has around 180 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
2.8% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton in 2024/25. 5.9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton 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 Primary School, Anderton have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton: Mad Science at Anderton Primary School (320m 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's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 6 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 2 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Anderton is at Rothwell Road, Anderton, Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 9LZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)