St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth, Exmouth
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth is a primary school for pupils aged 2 to 11 in Exmouth, part of Plymouth Cast. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2018. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 6th-highest of the 9 schools in Exmouth with published results, and 13,418th of 14,452 across England. It was 80% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2018)
- 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 Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth in detail
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth reached the expected standard in reading and 45% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 83% in reading and 83% 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, Exmouth
For September 2026 entry, 28 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth as their first choice and 37 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 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, Exmouth
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth are Exeter Road Community Primary School (0.4 miles, Requires improvement, 54% reading, 23% maths); The Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 60% reading, 73% maths); Withycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 75% reading, 82% maths); and Marpool Primary School (0.7 miles, 54% reading, 44% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Exeter Road Community Primary SchoolThe Beacon Church of England (VA) Primary SchoolWithycombe Raleigh Church of England Primary SchoolMarpool Primary School
The trust
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth 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.
Who goes there
13% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 40 pupils (21.6%) received SEN support and 12 (6.5%) 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.
Staffing
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth had 12 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Exmouth Rail Station, about 780 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hospital (nw-bound), 80 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 113 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Devon (16), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth issued 22 suspensions, 11.6 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; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; 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 October 2018, 8 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
St Joseph's Primary School is a caring school. Pupils' behaviour reflects the school's ethos of kindness and respect. Pupils take pride in their learning. They play well together. If pupils have any concerns, they know there are staff who will help them. As a result, pupils are happy and feel safe at school.
Older pupils are proud of the leadership roles they have. Pupils from the 'growing in faith together' team support younger pupils at breaktime to play and pray together. Members of the school council, eco-team and librarians play an important part in school life. All pupils have the opportunity to join the school choir and perform at local residential homes. These roles help pupils to be confident and provide opportunities to be active citizens.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
School and trust leaders have high aspirations for all pupils. They have built a culture where pupils are curious about learning. School leaders have ensured that staff have specialised knowledge in the areas they lead. As a result, the school's curriculum has been developed well to build knowledge and skills progressively over time.
The school has placed reading at the heart of the curriculum. Expectations of what pupils can achieve in reading lessons are high. In the early years, children start to learn phonics and begin to read simple sentences. The school ensures all staff are trained to teach phonics to a high standard. This means staff present phonics sounds clearly to pupils and regularly check pupils' understanding. Pupils are encouraged to decode unfamiliar words through the techniques they have learned. Through the use of monitoring, pupils who fall behind are identified quickly. Personalised support ensures these pupils catch up quickly. As a result, pupils have positive attitudes to reading and achieve well.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its October 2018 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
13.0%
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 83% to 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 83% to 45% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 72% to 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.5
Avg class size
22.0
KS2
4
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, Exmouth
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth.
- Primary Sports & Education Limited690m away · Not yet graded
- The Big Step760m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth is in Devon; for families living there:
- Devon's school travel policy: Free school transport
- How to apply: Apply for free school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- 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, 0 serious and 7 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 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, Exmouth
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Devon 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
80%
Available places
168 pupils
210 places
42 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Exmouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Exmouth
Across Devon council
Places available
9,014
Applications
6,494
Got 1st preference
96.5%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(3)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
40
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
28.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
185
Total Pupils
100
Boys
85
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
15.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£46,671
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,353
Per pupil
£1002k
Total funding
£36k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.4%
Overall absence
14.1%
Persistent absence
149
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, Exmouth
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 45% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2018, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth is oversubscribed, Devon 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, Exmouth?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth was not full in 2025: it ran at 80% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth average 20.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth has around 185 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
5.4% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth in 2024/25. 14.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth 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, Exmouth have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth: Primary Sports & Education Limited (690m away, registered, not yet graded) and The Big Step (760m 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, Exmouth?
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, 0 serious and 7 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Exmouth is at Regents Gate, Exmouth, Devon, EX8 1TA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)