School Chooser

St Joseph's Catholic Infant School

Primary · ages 2-7MixedRoman Catholic132 pupilsNurseryLondonWaltham Forest
School Chooser Score
77
Above
similar schools
Likely range 51 to 91, so it could be “well above”
Out of 100. Better than 81% of the 50 schools most like it. Much the same over the last five years.
#3,628 of 16,041 in England#28 in Waltham ForestHow it is worked out
OfstedStrong teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Attendance95.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families21%A bit fewer than most schools
Places48 spare132 pupils, 180 places
Pupils per teacher18.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll132Census January 2026

St Joseph's Catholic Infant School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in London for boys and girls aged 2 to 7. It has 132 pupils and room for 180. About 21 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 77 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 81% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Marsh Lane, London, E10 7BL020 8539 3000stjosephsinfantleyton.co.ukMrs Merryl D'Souza headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 15 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
Strong
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
Early years
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
20 January 2022UngradedSchool remains Good

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places82 pupils for 180 places, 2024/25
46% full

98 places were empty (54% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 33% since 2021/22, so places are getting easier to find.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Waltham Forest council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.

Pupils on roll132Census January 2026
Places18073% full
Pupils from low-income families17%21% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English49%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support17%22 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%4 pupils with a plan
Average class size26.33 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils0%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)20%£24,800 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls63 / 69
White British pupils9%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (17), Autistic spectrum disorder (6), emotional and mental health (2), Moderate learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll132128118146160150
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals17%18%13%14%21%18%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language49%51%39%46%46%56%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–15%14%13%17%28%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–4%5%2%2%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.2% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance95.2%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school20.3%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.02024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.5%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.8%4.5%5.1%5.5%3.2%3.4%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.3%3.7%4.2%4.6%2.6%2.6%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.5%0.8%0.8%0.8%0.6%0.8%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence20.3%12.5%13.0%13.2%9.6%8.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.00.00.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers6.6full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher18.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants5.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£61,443
Teachers who left in the year15%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher4.82024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£9,680England £7,738. Total £1.1m
Income per pupil£9,372England £7,697. Total £1.1m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,178England £3,480
Money in reserve19%A healthy amount put by: £208k, £1,823 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£35kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£9,680spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m61512 months to June 2026, mostly anti-social behaviour
Local crime rate159 per 1,000 people75% higher than the England average
Typical house price£530,000Waltham Forest
Nearest bus stop140 mPark Road Leyton, 6 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Willow Brook Primary School AcademyAcademy130 m660Outstanding 2023100Compare
Riverley Primary SchoolAcademy300 m437Outstanding 202399Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Junior SchoolRoman Catholic580 m107Good 202358Compare
Sybourn Primary SchoolAcademy680 m521Outstanding 202398Compare
George Mitchell SchoolAcademy710 m973Good 202353Compare
Dawlish Primary SchoolCouncil930 m158Good 202366Compare
Thomas Gamuel Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles338Report card 202690Compare
St Saviour's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles356Outstanding 201997Compare
Primary schools in Waltham ForestPrimary schools in LondonBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Joseph's Catholic Infant School with the 48 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 48 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats81%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the top quarter of its group. Its score of 77 is 21 points above the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 56 · highest 99100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 48 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Joseph's Catholic Infant School, nearest first. A school with the same kind of pupils and a higher score is the fairest sign that it gets more out of them.

SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
St Michael's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy4.2 miles206Good 202394Compare
St Peter's Eaton Square CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England7.2 miles147No overall grade 202595Compare
Servite RC Primary SchoolRoman Catholic8.9 miles208Report card 202687Compare
La Salette Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic9.6 miles210Good 202283Compare
Our Lady and St John's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic13.6 miles221Good 202488Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 77 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 77% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 51 to 91. That range is wide enough that the school could sit in the next band, so take the band as a rough guide rather than a verdict. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.

What we looked atHow much it countsAgainst schools like itEffect on the scoreBased on
Results over three years0%no data
–
Ofsted inspection20%above
+0.50
Ofsted report card, 0.4 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%in line
-0.07
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.07
2024/25; 64 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils0%no data
–
What parents say0%no data
–

Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.

Questions parents ask

Is St Joseph's Catholic Infant School a good school?

Yes, going by the figures. St Joseph's Catholic Infant School scores 77 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 81% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 51 to 91, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Joseph's Catholic Infant School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 15 April 2026 it rated teaching as strong, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.

How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic Infant School have?

132 pupils aged 2 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 180 places, so it is 73% full.

Is St Joseph's Catholic Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 98 places were empty in 2024/25 (54% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Infant School?

Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 20% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Infant School?

The average class had 26.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Marsh Lane, London, E10 7BL
Telephone
020 8539 3000
Website
www.stjosephsinfantleyton.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Merryl D'Souza
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 2-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Brentwood
Local authority
Waltham Forest
Ward
Leyton
Constituency
Leyton and Wanstead
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
103090 · LAESTAB 3203305 · UKPRN 10078364
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from