St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton, Wirral
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Wirral. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 48 schools in Wirral with published results, and 8,950th of 14,452 across England. It was 66% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Wirral (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton in detail
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I am delighted to have the privilege of being the Headteacher here at St Joseph's at what continues to be a busy and exciting time of change and transformation. Here at St Joseph's, we provide an inclusive Catholic education for all our children."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £6.50 per session.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton reached the expected standard in reading and 70% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 73% and 69% in Wirral and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 68% in reading and 71% 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 Upton
For September 2026 entry, 27 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton as their first choice and 57 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 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 Upton
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton are Overchurch Infant School (0.3 miles, Good); Overchurch Junior School (0.3 miles, 67% reading, 63% maths); Brookdale Primary School (0.8 miles, 81% reading, 78% maths); and St Peter's Catholic Primary School (0.9 miles, Good, 66% reading, 72% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 3 schools.
Overchurch Infant SchoolOverchurch Junior SchoolBrookdale Primary SchoolSt Peter's Catholic Primary School
What parents say
32 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton (as of September 2025): 88% would recommend the school, 97% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (97%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
10.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (77%), Asian (13%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 18 pupils (9.1%) received SEN support and 12 (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 railway station is Upton Rail Station, about 970 metres away (roughly a 12-minute walk).
11 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Braeside Gardens (adjacent), 190 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton stands in is among the 20% least 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 Upton 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 Upton are Upton Hall School FCJ (under 0.1 miles), Ridgeway High School (1.2 miles) and Woodchurch High School (1.2 miles).
Upton Hall School FCJRidgeway High SchoolWoodchurch High School
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 April 2019, 7 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's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
This is an incredibly happy and welcoming school. Pupils throughout the school are delightful and eager to engage with visitors. They show their kind nature to those around them during their daily lives in school.
Children's behaviour is exemplary. They understand the school's high expectations of their behaviour both in lessons and at play. Pupils benefit from staff knowing them very well as individuals. They are confident that if they have any worries, there is always an adult in the school who will listen and help.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
In recent years, the school has revised the curriculum. The curriculum is ambitious for all, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND. The choices that the school has made about what the pupils will learn has been purposeful so that learning is relevant and engaging. In most subjects, the school has clearly set out what pupils should learn and in what order. In areas where the curriculum is less well defined, there are occasions when staff do not select activities which will support pupils to learn the essential knowledge as well as they could.
The school carefully monitors what pupils know and can do. Typically, teachers identify and address pupils' misconceptions as they arise. However, in a couple of subjects, the school does not identify and address gaps in pupils' knowledge sufficiently well. This means that sometimes new learning does not securely build on what pupils already know and remember.
From Ofsted's October 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 April 2019 inspection - up from Requires Improvement.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
24.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
32 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 68% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 70% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 68% to 59% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
24.8
Avg class size
23.7
Infant (KS1)
25.4
KS2
8
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 Upton
Newsletter - 2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
Harvest Festival 2026
28 Sep 2026
Macmillan Coffee Afternoon 2026
28 Sep 2026
Newsletter - 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Sacramental Preparation 2026-2027
22 Sep 2026
Newsletter - 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
From St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton
Term dates
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Wirral'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 Upton from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton is in Wirral; for families living there:
Apply to Wirral for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 15
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 10 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 on a bicycle.
3 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 Wirral is 15 (the median across 136 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 Upton
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Wirral, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wirral 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
66%
Available places
227 pupils
342 places
115 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wirral
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wirral
Across Wirral council
Places available
3,820
Applications
3,017
Got 1st preference
95.3%
Got preferred school
98.9%
All primary applications across Wirral council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(10)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
18
SEN Support
12
EHC Plans
15.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
198
Total Pupils
103
Boys
95
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
16.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,590
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,429
Per pupil
£1369k
Total funding
£74k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.8%
Overall absence
8.8%
Persistent absence
205
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 Upton
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 70% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton is oversubscribed, Wirral 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 Upton?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton was not full in 2025: it ran at 66% of its 342 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton average 24.8 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton has around 198 pupils on roll. 25% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
4.8% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton in 2024/25. 8.8% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
Apply through Wirral's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton 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 Upton?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 15 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 5 serious and 10 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot and 3 on a bicycle. 3 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 Wirral is 15 (the median across 136 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Upton is at Moreton Road, Upton, Wirral, Merseyside, CH49 6LL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)