St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy, Matlock
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Matlock, part of St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in September 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 16 schools in Matlock with published results, and 9,982nd of 14,452 across England. It was 68% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- 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 Derbyshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy in detail
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy reached the expected standard in reading and 74% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 73% in Derbyshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (71% in reading, 71% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy
For September 2026 entry, 14 families put St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy as their first choice and 28 named it as one of their preferences, for 14 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 Voluntary Academy
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy are Castle View Primary School (0.1 miles, Requires improvement, 53% reading, 47% maths); All Saints CofE Infant School (0.6 miles, Good); All Saints CofE Junior School (0.9 miles, Good, 88% reading, 90% maths); and St Giles Church of England Primary and Nursery School (0.9 miles, Good, 80% reading, 80% maths).
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 3 schools.
Castle View Primary SchoolAll Saints CofE Infant SchoolAll Saints CofE Junior SchoolSt Giles Church of England Primary and Nursery School
The trust
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is one of 25 schools run by St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
All 25 schools in St Ralph Sherwin Catholic Multi Academy Trust
What parents say
10 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 100% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (100%); the weakest, that their child feels safe (90%).
Who goes there
55.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 1.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 52 pupils (33.3%) received SEN support and 6 (3.8%) 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 Matlock Rail Station, about 1090 metres away (roughly a 14-minute walk).
17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Smedley Street East (adjacent), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 91 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Derbyshire (50), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy issued 21 suspensions, 13.5 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; 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 September 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 March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's is a caring school where pupils feel safe, respected and happy to come to school. The curriculum is broad and engaging, giving pupils rich learning experiences and many opportunities to take on leadership roles. Parents praise the school's dedication and love for their children, and nearly all pupils benefit from extra-curricular activities that boost their confidence.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed, ambitious curriculum with clear structures that helps pupils remember key knowledge and make good progress
- Strong behaviour policy and positive pupil attitudes to learning - suspensions and exclusions are reducing
- Excellent personal development curriculum teaching life skills, British values, and leadership opportunities through programmes like the Ivengers
- Effective support for pupils with SEND enabling them to access the full curriculum
- High-quality early years provision with good balance of staff-led and independent play-based learning
Areas for Improvement
- Classroom activities are not always adapted well enough to meet the range of pupils' needs, which sometimes limits how secure their knowledge becomes
- The phonics programme is not sufficiently tailored for some pupils who struggle in whole-class sessions, affecting their reading fluency and accuracy
- Need for more consistent monitoring and evaluation of provision across all levels of leadership
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with a strong culture that puts pupils' interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports clubs, creative arts clubs, 50 things to do before leaving St Joseph's programme, Ivengers online safety team, various leadership initiatives
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy has maintained good standards since its previous inspection. The school has a caring ethos, ambitious curriculum, and has taken effective action to improve pupil behaviour and attendance.
At a Glance
55.1%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
10 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 remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 74% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 62% to 68% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
16.9
Avg class size
15.0
Infant (KS1)
17.3
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 Voluntary Academy
Before and after school care
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Source: Free breakfast clubs: schools on the programme, Department for Education Free breakfast clubs in Derbyshire
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy.
- Progressive Sports Matlock730m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Derbyshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is in Derbyshire; for families living there:
- Derbyshire's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy 2026 to 2027 - 465KB
- How to apply: Apply for home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 9
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 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 Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 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 Voluntary Academy
Will you get a place at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Derbyshire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Derbyshire 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.
£9.99 once
One school, inc. VAT. Or £19.99 for up to three schools.
Pro £9 a month, every report included, cancel any time
A report for any school, plus everything else in Pro.
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
68%
Available places
140 pupils
207 places
67 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Matlock
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Matlock
Across Derbyshire council
Places available
9,875
Applications
7,189
Got 1st preference
94.5%
Got preferred school
99.2%
All primary applications across Derbyshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
52
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
37.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
156
Total Pupils
77
Boys
79
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
8
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,842
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,484
Per pupil
£958k
Total funding
£98k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
6.1%
Overall absence
19.4%
Persistent absence
134
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 Voluntary Academy
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 74% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in September 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is oversubscribed, Derbyshire 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 Voluntary Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy was not full in 2025: it ran at 68% of its 207 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Classes at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy average 16.9 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy has around 156 pupils on roll. 55% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
6.1% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy in 2024/25. 19.4% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Apply through Derbyshire's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy 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 Voluntary Academy have a breakfast club or after-school club?
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is on the Department for Education's free breakfast clubs programme (list updated July 2026), which pays for a free breakfast club for pupils before school. Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy: Progressive Sports Matlock (730m away, registered, not yet graded).
How many road collisions happen near St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 9 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 7 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 Derbyshire is 6 (the median across 454 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy?
St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy is at Chesterfield Road, Matlock, Derbyshire, DE4 3FT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)