St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell, Chorley
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Chorley. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in December 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 40 schools in Chorley with published results, and 1,757th of 14,452 across England. It was 93% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2019)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- 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, Withnell in detail
Results
In 2025, 86% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Lancashire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 79% in reading and 79% 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, Withnell
For September 2026 entry, 17 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell as their first choice and 45 named it as one of their preferences, for 17 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, Withnell
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell are Abbey Village Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 80% reading, 90% maths); Brinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 89% reading, 82% maths); Withnell Fold Primary School (1.4 miles, Good, 58% reading, 50% maths); and St Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School (1.9 miles, Good, 60% reading, 30% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
Abbey Village Primary SchoolBrinscall St John's CofE and Methodist Primary SchoolWithnell Fold Primary SchoolSt Stephen's Tockholes CofE Primary School
What parents say
43 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell (as of September 2025): 95% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 83% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (83%).
Who goes there
7.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 1.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (8.7%) received SEN support and 4 (4.3%) 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.
Staffing
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell had 7 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 Pleasington Rail Station, about 2.6 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Josephs Primary School (opposite), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 16 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and burglary. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Lancashire (109).
Suspensions and exclusions
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
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; 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 2019, 7 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
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's December 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's is a caring school where children are genuinely happy and enthusiastic about learning. Teachers have high expectations and use careful checks to spot and fix any gaps in understanding, helping most pupils achieve excellent results. The school offers an impressive range of clubs, trips and leadership opportunities that help children develop into confident and articulate young people.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve extremely well with a broad and ambitious curriculum that builds knowledge securely over time
- High-quality phonics teaching and reading support help pupils become confident, fluent readers
- Excellent behaviour and conduct, with pupils being polite, kind and considerate
- Extensive enrichment activities and leadership opportunities help pupils develop confidence and resilience
- Strong personal development provision that prepares pupils well for life in modern Britain
Areas for Improvement
- Staff need more training and information to support the growing number of pupils with broader ranges of additional needs
- Support for some pupils with SEND is variable and needs to be more consistent to help all pupils achieve equally well
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective and prioritise pupils' interests.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, arts clubs, music clubs, school council, sports leaders, peer buddies, trips to places of worship, theatre visits, cultural visits to London, before-school and after-school club
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a nurturing school where pupils are happy, thrive, and achieve highly across the curriculum. The school has successfully maintained the outstanding standards from its previous inspection in 2019.
At a Glance
7.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
43 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 79% to 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 79% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 79% to 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
23.5
Avg class size
2
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, Withnell
Friday 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Friday 10th July 2026
9 Jul 2026
Friday 26th June 2026
26 Jun 2026
Friday 12th June 2026
12 Jun 2026
Friday 22nd May 2026
22 May 2026
Friday 8th May 2026
8 May 2026
From St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell
Term dates
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell 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
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell 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
- 1
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
0 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, Withnell
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell.
- 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, Withnell 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
93%
Near capacity
98 pupils
105 places
7 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: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(8)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
4
EHC Plans
13.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
92
Total Pupils
54
Boys
38
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
7
Teachers
13.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£52,238
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,942
Per pupil
£640k
Total funding
£8k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
3.4%
Persistent absence
87
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 86% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell's most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2019, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell 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, Withnell?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell was not full in 2025: it ran at 93% of its 105 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell average 23.5 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell has around 92 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell?
3.3% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell in 2024/25. 3.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell 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, Withnell?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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, Withnell?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Withnell is at Bury Lane, Withnell, Chorley, Lancashire, PR6 8SD.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)