St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract, Pontefract
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Pontefract, part of The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 33 schools in Pontefract with published results, and 2,822nd of 14,452 across England. It was 96% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- 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 Wakefield (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract in detail
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 75% in Wakefield and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 77% in reading and 87% 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 Pontefract
For September 2026 entry, 21 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 21 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 Pontefract
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract are St Giles C of E Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 82% reading, 89% maths); Ark Halfpenny Lane Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 97% reading, 95% maths); Ark Larks Hill Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 100% reading, 97% maths); and Ark Carleton Park Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 93% reading, 97% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St Giles C of E AcademyArk Halfpenny Lane Primary SchoolArk Larks Hill Primary SchoolArk Carleton Park Primary School
The trust
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is one of 15 schools run by The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 15 schools in The Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust
Who goes there
10.4% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 43 pupils (19.4%) received SEN support and 5 (2.3%) 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 railway station is Pontefract Tanshelf Rail Station, about 340 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Joseph's School, 50 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract 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 309 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 Wakefield (130), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract issued 1 suspension, 0.4 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 Pontefract are Ark The King's School (0.4 miles), Ark Carleton High School (1.2 miles), The Featherstone Academy (1.5 miles) and St Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy (1.8 miles).
Ark The King's SchoolArk Carleton High SchoolThe Featherstone AcademySt Wilfrid's Catholic High School & Sixth Form College: A Voluntary Academy
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; 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
Ofsted rated this school Good at its April 2024 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
10.4%
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 improved from 77% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has declined from 87% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.3
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
29.7
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 Pontefract
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract.
- Kip McGrath Pontefract600m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is in Wakefield; for families living there:
- Wakefield's school travel policy: Home To School Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 69
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 19
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 69 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 19 serious and 50 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise.
9 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 Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 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 Pontefract
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wakefield, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wakefield 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
96%
Near capacity
201 pupils
210 places
9 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Pontefract
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Pontefract
Across Wakefield council
Places available
4,391
Applications
3,654
Got 1st preference
94.4%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Wakefield council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
43
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
21.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
222
Total Pupils
111
Boys
111
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
10
Teachers
22.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,531
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,241
Per pupil
£1188k
Total funding
£33k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.7%
Overall absence
11.0%
Persistent absence
182
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 Pontefract
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 83% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in April 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2012 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is oversubscribed, Wakefield 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 Pontefract?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract was close to full in 2025, at 96% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract average 27.3 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract has around 222 pupils on roll. 10% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
4.7% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract in 2024/25. 11% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
Apply through Wakefield's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract 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 Pontefract 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 Pontefract: Kip McGrath Pontefract (600m 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 Pontefract?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 69 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 19 serious and 50 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 4 in a vehicle or otherwise. 9 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 Wakefield is 13 (the median across 157 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is at Newgate, Pontefract, West Yorkshire, WF8 4AA.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)