School Chooser

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic213 pupilsNurseryPortisheadNorth Somerset
School Chooser Score
60
In line with
similar schools
Likely range 32 to 82
Out of 100. Better than 12% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, December 2021
Reached the expected level at 1185%England 63%
Attendance95.2%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families9%Far fewer than most schools
PlacesFull213 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher24.4School workforce census

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School is a converter academy in Portishead for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 213 pupils, 3 more than it has places for. About 8 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. We give it 60 out of 100. That puts it in line with schools like it, ahead of 12% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2021.

Bristol Road, Bristol Rd, Portishead, BS20 6QB01275 848367st-josephs.org.ukMr Jonathan Deeney headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 2 December 2021 found nothing to change the school's grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A shorter follow-up visit found nothing to change that. The last full inspection was before September 2019, which is as far back as Ofsted's public records go, so we can't show its date or the grades for each area.

This inspection is more than 4 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

27 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced.

Reached the expected level at 1185%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level7%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score107.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score108.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 83%83%20172018: 90%90%20182019: 78%78%20192023: 53%53%20232024: 81%81%20242025: 85%85%2025
Since 2017: +2%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure2025†2024†2023†2019†2018†2017†North SomersetEngland
Pupils tested273232323030
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths85%81%53%78%90%83%63%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths7%3%9%3%13%27%7%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score107.0106.0106.0105.0107.0109.0105.8105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score108.0105.0105.0105.0106.0109.0104.7104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0103.0101.0106.0107.0107.0105.3105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard89%91%81%81%93%97%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard93%88%72%91%93%97%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)89%81%56%88%97%87%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.7+0.2+0.2+3.3
Maths progressMaths progress score+0.9-0.8+0.0+2.4

There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.

† These results are for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Does every child do well here?

A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.

At the end of primary school, 2025

Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
88%82%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
First groupSecond groupEngland, each group

Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.

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.

Nearly full200 pupils for 210 places, 2024/25
95% full

Fewer than one place in twenty is empty, so in most years more families apply than there are places. Living close by, or already having a child here, makes a real difference.

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 North Somerset 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 roll213Census January 2026
Places210101% full
Pupils from low-income families9%9% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English15%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support13%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan3%6 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.17 classes, January 2026; England 25.4
Classes with more than 30 pupils43%Infant classes are capped at 30 by law; England 10%
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)9%£27,900 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls103 / 110
White British pupils75%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 26.5 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 32.0 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (12), SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need (4), Specific learning difficulty (4), language and communications needs (4), Autistic spectrum disorder (3), Hearing impairment (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census20262025
Pupils on roll213218
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals9%9%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language15%20%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support9%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans3%

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 school13.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission0.9%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/24†2022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence4.8%4.6%5.0%6.0%2.3%3.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.0%3.8%4.2%5.2%2.0%3.0%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence0.9%0.8%0.8%0.8%0.3%0.9%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence13.0%7.9%11.8%13.7%2.3%2.7%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.9
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions0

† These attendance figures are for St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in January 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.

Staff and money

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

Teachers8.7full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher24.4Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants9.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£49,833
Vacancies0

Money

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

Money in reserve16%A healthy amount put by: £142k, £652 per pupil
Money in against money out+£11kit took in more than it spent this year

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 m9212 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate59 per 1,000 people35% lower than the England average
Typical house price£315,000North Somerset
Nearest bus stop90 mGlebe Road, 17 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
St Peter's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy530 m601Outstanding 202391Compare
Trinity Anglican-Methodist Primary SchoolAcademy0.7 miles413Not inspected77Compare
Portishead Primary SchoolAcademy0.8 miles370Not inspected59Compare
High Down Junior SchoolAcademy1.0 miles328Not inspected72Compare
High Down Infant SchoolAcademy1.1 miles198Good 202271Compare
St Mary's Church of England Primary School, PortburyAcademy2.1 miles83No overall grade 202446Compare
Tickenham Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy2.7 miles93Good 202391Compare
Kingshill Church SchoolAcademy2.7 miles104Good 20248Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Joseph's Catholic Primary School with the 49 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 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats12%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 60 is 23 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 20 · middle 83 · highest 98100

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 60 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 60% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 32 to 82. 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 inspection16% (normally 20%, cut because the inspection is old)in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 4.8 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
+0.08
2024/25; 177 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 Primary School a good school?

It is about average. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School scores 60 out of 100. That is in line with schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 12% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 32 to 82, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

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

Ofsted rated St Joseph's Catholic Primary School good at its last full inspection on 2 December 2021. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How good are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 85% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 7% went further and reached the higher level.

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

213 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 101% full.

Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School oversubscribed?

Often. Fewer than one place in twenty was empty in 2024/25, so popular year groups fill up.

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

Pupils were in school 95.2% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 13% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 23.1 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 43% of classes 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
Bristol Road, Bristol Rd, Portishead, BS20 6QB
Telephone
01275 848367
Website
www.st-josephs.org.uk
Headteacher
Mr Jonathan Deeney
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Clifton
Multi-academy trust
The Cardinal Newman Catholic Educational Trust (7 schools)
Local authority
North Somerset
Ward
Portishead South
Constituency
North Somerset
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 January 2025 (academy converter)
URN
151173 · LAESTAB 8023349 · UKPRN 10096088
Formerly
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from