St Joseph's Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Highfield, Rowlands Gill
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Location
Estimated admission likelihood based on school density and oversubscription data
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The school provides a welcoming environment where children settle quickly and thrive. Reading is particularly strong with pupils reaching high standards, and all learners - whether they need extra support or are the most able - make good progress. The school uses funding well to ensure disadvantaged pupils catch up and achieve as well as their peers.
Key Strengths
- Strong teaching with high expectations - most lessons are good and some outstanding
- Excellent progress in reading, with pupils reaching above-average standards at both key stages
- Good support for all learners including those with special needs and disadvantaged pupils, who make strong progress
- Positive behaviour and excellent attendance - pupils enjoy school and feel safe
- Effective leadership - new headteacher and deputy are rapidly improving the school
Areas for Improvement
- Writing progress in Key Stage 2 needs to improve - handwriting and grammar skills are holding pupils back
- Marking doesn't always help pupils improve their work or understand what to do next
- Pupils need more chances to check their own learning and spot where they need to do better
- Not enough lessons are outstanding yet - teaching quality is mostly good but needs to be more consistently excellent
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - pupils have a good understanding of how to keep safe and feel safe in school.
St Joseph's is a good school where children make good progress and leave with above-average standards. The new leadership team has quickly identified areas for improvement and is driving positive change.
At a Glance
30.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2025/26KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 82% to 93%. Maths has improved from 45% to 87%. Writing has improved from 73% to 80%.
Class Sizes
20.5
Avg class size
12.5
Infant (KS1)
28.5
KS2
4
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
77%
Available places
81 pupils
105 capacity
24 spare places available
Area Demand Pressure - Rowlands Gill
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Rowlands Gill
Admissions Demand - Gateshead
Places available
2,504
Applications
1,789
Got 1st preference
96.9%
Got preferred school
99.8%
Primary admissions across Gateshead (2025/26)
Inspection History(7)
House Prices
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SEN Provision
How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.
Pupil Demographics
The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.
Teachers & Staff
Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.
School Funding
Annual funding per pupil, total budget, pupil premium grants, and how the school's resources compare to similar schools nationally.
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.20076%
Overall absence
5.19481%
Persistent absence
77
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
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