St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wareham
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Wareham, part of Plymouth Cast. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in March 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 7th-highest of the 9 schools in Wareham with published results, and 13,208th of 14,452 across England. It was 55% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- 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 Dorset (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in detail
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care until 5:15pm, from £5.50 per session.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 58% of Year 6 pupils at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 58% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 74% and 71% in Dorset and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (76% in reading, 43% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 5 families put St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 12 named it as one of their preferences, for 5 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 Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School are Wool Church of England Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 62% reading, 54% maths); Bovington Academy (1.5 miles, Good, 86% reading, 79% maths); Lulworth and Winfrith CofE Primary School (3.8 miles, 50% reading, 63% maths); and Wareham St Mary Church of England Primary School (4.7 miles, Good, 63% reading, 67% maths).
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 1 of these 4 schools.
Wool Church of England Primary SchoolBovington AcademyLulworth and Winfrith CofE Primary SchoolWareham St Mary Church of England Primary School
The trust
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is one of 34 schools run by Plymouth Cast, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
13.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 4.9% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (85%) and Asian (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wool Rail Station, about 350 metres away (roughly a 4-minute walk).
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Ship Inn (opposite), 90 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School issued 7 suspensions, 6 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; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's March 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The school has worked hard to rebuild itself under new leadership, with a thoughtfully designed curriculum that helps children learn important knowledge step by step. Teachers are becoming more confident, especially in teaching maths, and the early years environment is stimulating and well-suited to children's learning. Leaders have a clear focus on what needs to improve next and are measuring progress carefully.
Key Strengths
- Well-designed curriculum with carefully sequenced knowledge that builds on previous learning
- Strong focus on early years development, particularly fine motor skills
- Precise vocabulary planning so pupils can articulate their learning
- Leaders at all levels developed to design and monitor curriculum areas
- Improved teacher confidence in mathematics through targeted support
Areas for Improvement
- Teachers need to use assessment more carefully during lessons to check pupils understand before moving forward
- Pupils struggle to link current learning to prior knowledge
- Some gaps in pupil learning remain from the previous curriculum
- Assessment approaches need further development and refinement
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has made progress in improving the school under new leadership, with deliberate action taken to address previous inspection findings. However, some aspects still need further refinement and embedding.
At a Glance
13.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has declined from 76% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 43% to 58% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 43% to 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
20.0
Avg class size
18.0
KS2
3
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
From St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Keep up with St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is in Dorset; for families living there:
Apply to Dorset for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 7
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 1
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight.
1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot.
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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 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 Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Dorset, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Dorset 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
55%
Available places
114 pupils
209 places
95 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Wareham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wareham
Across Dorset council
Places available
3,692
Applications
2,795
Got 1st preference
93.9%
Got preferred school
99.0%
All primary applications across Dorset council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
15
SEN Support
3
EHC Plans
22.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
81
Total Pupils
39
Boys
42
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
16.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,030
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,678
Per pupil
£748k
Total funding
£23k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
9.0%
Persistent absence
122
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Questions parents ask about St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 58% reached the expected standard in reading and 58% did so in maths.
What is St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in March 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Dorset allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 55% of its 209 places.
How big are the classes at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Classes at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School average 20 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School has around 81 pupils on roll. 14% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 9% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Dorset's coordinated admissions process, naming St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic 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.
How many road collisions happen near St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 7 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 5 slight. 1 child aged 0 to 15 was hurt: 1 on foot. 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 Dorset is 3 (the median across 184 schools, same distance and years).
Where is St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School?
St Mary & St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is at Folly Lane, Wool, Wareham, Dorset, BH20 6DS.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)