St Joseph's RC Primary School, Ashton-under-Lyne
St Joseph's RC Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Ashton-under-Lyne. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 10th-highest of the 19 schools in Ashton-under-Lyne with published results, and 7,353rd of 14,452 across England. It was 70% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2014)
- 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 Tameside (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Joseph's RC Primary School in detail
St Joseph's RC Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Welcome to our Catholic Primary School, proudly situated in the heart of Mossley. Our school is a vibrant, nurturing community where faith, learning and love guide everything we do. As a Catholic school, our mission is rooted in Gospel values."
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £5 per session.
Vision and values (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 76% in Tameside and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (73% in reading, 77% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Joseph's RC Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 10 families put St Joseph's RC Primary School as their first choice and 15 named it as one of their preferences, for 10 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 RC Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Joseph's RC Primary School are St George's CofE Primary School (0.2 miles, 61% reading, 83% maths); Livingstone Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 97% reading, 100% maths); Milton St John's CofE Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 90% reading, 93% maths); and Micklehurst All Saints CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 79% reading, 82% maths).
St Joseph's RC Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
St George's CofE Primary SchoolLivingstone Primary SchoolMilton St John's CofE Primary SchoolMicklehurst All Saints CofE Primary School
Who goes there
6.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%), Black (8%) and Mixed (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Mossley (Manchester) Rail Station, about 320 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
18 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Market Place (at), 160 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
St Joseph's RC Primary School 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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from May 2014, 12 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2023 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
St Joseph's is a warm, welcoming school where children thrive both academically and emotionally. The school excels at teaching reading and phonics, ensuring all pupils including those with additional needs catch up quickly. Pupils develop strong values and a sense of community, with plenty of opportunities to extend their learning through trips, clubs and enrichment activities.
Key Strengths
- Pupils achieve well and are motivated to learn, with strong behaviour and respect for each other
- Excellent phonics teaching and reading support, helping all pupils including those with SEND to read fluently
- Strong pastoral care and mental health support for pupils' emotional well-being
- Well-designed curriculum for personal development covering online safety, community responsibility and respect for different cultures
- Good leadership and governance with effective staff support systems
Areas for Improvement
- Some subjects lack clear identification of essential knowledge and the logical order in which it should be taught
- Teachers in a small number of subjects need better support to deliver the curriculum confidently and check pupils' understanding effectively
- Inconsistent use of assessment information to identify and address gaps in learning across all subjects
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with proper systems in place to keep pupils safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Choir, cornet club, eco-club, tag rugby, football, dodgeball, residential trips, museum visits, zoo visits, local religious and civic site visits
St Joseph's RC Primary School continues to be a good school where pupils enjoy learning, behave well, and are happy and well cared for. The school has strengthened its curriculum since the last inspection, though some subjects need further development in how knowledge is organised and taught.
At a Glance
20.4%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 73% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 77% to 65% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
18.4
Avg class size
18.0
Infant (KS1)
21.0
KS2
8
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Joseph's RC Primary School
Newsletter- 2nd October 2026
2 Oct 2026
Newsletter- 25th September 2026
25 Sep 2026
Newsletter- 18th September 2026
18 Sep 2026
Newsletter- 11th September 2026
11 Sep 2026
Newsletter- 4th September 2026
4 Sep 2026
Newsletter- 24th July 2026
24 Jul 2026
From St Joseph's RC Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with St Joseph's RC Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near St Joseph's RC Primary School.
- St Josephs After School ClubAt the school · Not yet graded
- Castle Top Kids Club260m away · Ofsted: Good
- Skools Out Ltd470m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Joseph's RC Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Joseph's RC Primary School is in Tameside; for families living there:
Apply to Tameside for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 2
- Serious
- 5
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 5 serious and 3 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 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 Tameside is 12 (the median across 111 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 RC Primary School
Will you get a place at St Joseph's RC Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Joseph's RC Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Joseph's RC Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Joseph's RC Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Tameside, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Joseph's RC Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Tameside 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
70%
Available places
148 pupils
210 places
62 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ashton-under-Lyne
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ashton-under-Lyne
Across Tameside council
Places available
3,050
Applications
2,451
Got 1st preference
95.4%
Got preferred school
98.8%
All primary applications across Tameside council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
17
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
15.0%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
147
Total Pupils
84
Boys
63
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
9
Teachers
16.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,839
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,769
Per pupil
£976k
Total funding
£44k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.5%
Overall absence
8.3%
Persistent absence
144
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 RC Primary School
Questions parents ask about St Joseph's RC Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Joseph's RC Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Joseph's RC Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is St Joseph's RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Joseph's RC Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2014, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for St Joseph's RC Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Joseph's RC Primary School is oversubscribed, Tameside allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Joseph's RC Primary School?
St Joseph's RC Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 70% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at St Joseph's RC Primary School?
Classes at St Joseph's RC Primary School average 18.4 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Joseph's RC Primary School?
St Joseph's RC Primary School has around 147 pupils on roll. 20% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Joseph's RC Primary School?
3.5% of sessions were missed at St Joseph's RC Primary School in 2024/25. 8.3% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Joseph's RC Primary School?
Apply through Tameside's coordinated admissions process, naming St Joseph's RC Primary School 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 RC Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: St Josephs After School Club (registered, not yet graded). There are 2 more within a kilometre. 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 RC Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 2 fatal, 5 serious and 3 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 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 Tameside is 12 (the median across 111 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Joseph's RC Primary School?
St Joseph's RC Primary School is at Market Street, Mossley, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL5 0ES.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)