St Joseph's RC Primary School, Salford

Ofsted's report card from its 19 May 2026 inspection grades St Joseph's RC Primary School on 7 areas: 2 expected standard and 5 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Early years - Expected standard. "Leaders have established clear transition processes when children join the school."

Inclusion - Expected standard. "Leaders are proactive at engaging with specialist professionals, including in the local authority, to ensure that pupils' needs are identified and met."

Achievement - Needs attention. "Pupils do not achieve as well as they could in key stage 1 and 2."

Attendance and behaviour - Needs attention. "Leaders communicate their expectations of attendance and punctuality clearly to parents and carers, starting in the early years."

Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "There is variability in the quality of teaching across different subjects."

Leadership and governance - Needs attention. "Leaders' aspirations to provide all pupils with high quality provision are not realised."

Personal development and wellbeing - Needs attention. "Pupils' learning across the personal, social and health (PSHE) education curriculum does not develop securely."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that the delivery of the curriculum enables pupils to securely learn the intended knowledge, so that they achieve well and are fully prepared for the next stage of their education"; "Leaders should embed recent changes to behaviour systems, to ensure that there are consistent expectations of behaviour that are implemented by staff and understood and followed by pupils"; "Leaders should ensure that they have a precise picture of the quality of teaching, so that their actions can focus sharply on securing swift improvements to the delivery of the curriculum"; "Leaders should ensure that the personal development programme enables pupils to develop the knowledge they need to be well prepared for life beyond school, including developing their understanding of British values".

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 43% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 73% in Salford and 77% and 75% across England.

Results fell from 78% in reading and 74% in maths in 2024.

With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.

For September 2026 entry, 31 families put St Joseph's RC Primary School as their first choice and 63 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is slightly more first choices than places. 3 families who put it first were not offered a place there.

The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's RC Primary School are Primrose Hill Primary School and Children's Centre (0.1 miles, Good, 74% reading, 84% maths); St Paul's CofE Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 71% reading, 74% maths); Lark Hill Community Primary School (0.7 miles, Good, 78% reading, 67% maths); and St Philip's CofE Primary School (0.8 miles, Good, 61% reading, 64% maths).

Each of them had higher 2025 results than St Joseph's RC Primary School.

43.2% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), and 57.7% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (29%), Black (23%) and Mixed (18%).

In 2026, 51 pupils (23.2%) received SEN support and 2 (0.9%) 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.

St Joseph's RC Primary School had 16 teachers in 2026, one for every 13 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.

The nearest tram or metro stop is Anchorage (Manchester Metrolink), about 500 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).

17 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ryall Avenue (near), 110 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood St Joseph's RC Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In 2024/25, St Joseph's RC Primary School issued 5 suspensions, 2.2 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.

The secondary schools closest to St Joseph's RC Primary School are Oasis Academy MediaCityUK (0.2 miles), Eton Academy (0.5 miles) and AldridgeUTC@MediaCityUK (0.7 miles).