St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx), Waltham Cross
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Waltham Cross, part of St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 5th-highest of the 16 schools in Waltham Cross with published results, and 3,694th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.3 first-choice applications for every place. It was 92% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Hertfordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) in detail
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "St Joseph's is a welcoming Catholic school where God is centre and our children come first. Here at St Joseph's it is our vision for every child to achieve the very best they can in life, and leave our school ready for their next steps."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:45am and after-school care, from £5.50 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 2 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Hertfordshire
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 90% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) reached the expected standard in reading and 79% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 76% in Hertfordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 83% in reading and 73% 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 (Wx)
For September 2026 entry, 39 families put St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) as their first choice and 70 named it as one of their preferences, for 31 places offered. That is 1.3 first choices for every place. 8 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) are Four Swannes Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 73% reading, 59% maths); Holy Trinity Church of England Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 85% reading, 85% maths); Downfield Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 61% reading, 57% maths); and Holdbrook Primary School and Nursery (0.6 miles, Good, 95% reading, 95% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)'s 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Four Swannes Primary SchoolHoly Trinity Church of England Primary SchoolDownfield Primary SchoolHoldbrook Primary School and Nursery
The trust
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) is one of 9 schools run by St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
All 9 schools in St Francis of Assisi Catholic Academy Trust
What parents say
55 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) (as of September 2025): 96% would recommend the school, 96% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they are kept well informed about progress (98%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
7.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Theobalds Grove Rail Station, about 480 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) issued 5 suspensions, 2.3 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 (Wx) are The Lea Valley Academy (1 mile), Goffs - Churchgate Academy (1 mile), St Mary's Church of England High School (VA) (1.3 miles) and Oasis Academy Enfield (1.3 miles).
The Lea Valley AcademyGoffs - Churchgate AcademySt Mary's Church of England High School (VA)Oasis Academy Enfield
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; Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school has improved significantly.
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in September 2021. Before that, as St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (URN 117429), it was rated Good in April 2017.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's November 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's provides an ambitious curriculum where children develop into confident, fluent readers through strong phonics teaching. Behaviour is exemplary and pupils have genuine leadership opportunities that help them feel valued. The school enriches learning through theatre visits, charity work, and celebrations that help pupils develop as positive citizens of society.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve well across an ambitious, carefully sequenced curriculum with deliberate connections to diversity and equality
- Excellent phonics provision and regular checks ensure pupils become confident and fluent readers
- Exemplary pupil behaviour supported by clear expectations, well-established routines and respectful relationships
- Exceptional preparation for life beyond school through enriching wider opportunities, including charity work, theatre visits and leadership roles
- Swift identification of individual needs and effective support for pupils with SEND across the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
International day, aspirations week, fundraising for charity, theatre visits, festival and national event celebrations, leadership roles including primary minister, house captains, subject ambassadors, anti-bullying ambassadors, lighthouse keepers
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils are proud to be part of a strong community. Evidence suggests the school's work has improved significantly across all areas since the previous inspection.
At a Glance
7.7%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
55 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 83% to 90% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 73% to 79% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
26.0
Avg class size
26.7
Infant (KS1)
28.0
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 (Wx)
Homework - 01.10.2026
1 Oct 2026
Homework
1 Oct 2026
Homework
1 Oct 2026
Homework 01.10.26
1 Oct 2026
Homework 01.10.26
1 Oct 2026
Year 3 Homework
1 Oct 2026
From St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)'s website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx).
- Premier Education - Downfield880m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Hertfordshire'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 (Wx) from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) is in Hertfordshire; for families living there:
- Hertfordshire's school travel policy: Read the home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 31
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 3
- Children hurt
- 9
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 28 slight.
9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 2 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 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 (Wx)
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)'s admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx):
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx).
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Hertfordshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) for 2022 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Hertfordshire 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
92%
Near capacity
194 pupils
210 places
16 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Waltham Cross
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Waltham Cross
Across Hertfordshire council
Places available
14,776
Applications
12,543
Got 1st preference
89.1%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Hertfordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History
Ungraded inspection: The school has improved significantly.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
23
SEN Support
9
EHC Plans
15.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
208
Total Pupils
92
Boys
116
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
18.9:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,457
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,443
Per pupil
£1192k
Total funding
£27k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.8%
Overall absence
7.6%
Persistent absence
172
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
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 90% reached the expected standard in reading and 79% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)'s Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) has had no graded Ofsted inspection since it took its current form in September 2021. Before that, as St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (URN 117429), it was rated Good in April 2017.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) is oversubscribed, Hertfordshire 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 (Wx)?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) was not full in 2025: it ran at 92% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) average 26 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) has around 208 pupils on roll. 8% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
3.8% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) in 2024/25. 7.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
Apply through Hertfordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) 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 (Wx) 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 (Wx): Premier Education - Downfield (880m 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 (Wx)?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 31 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 3 serious and 28 slight. 9 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot, 3 on a bicycle and 2 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 Hertfordshire is 9 (the median across 590 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx)?
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School (Wx) is at Royal Avenue, Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, EN8 7EN.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)