School Chooser

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy

Primary · ages 3-11MixedAcademyRoman Catholic101 pupilsNursery Free breakfast clubStockport
School Chooser Score
21
Below
similar schools
Likely range 8 to 47, so it could be “well below”
Out of 100. Better than 31% of the 50 schools most like it.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, June 2026
Reached the expected level at 1153%England 63%
Attendance94.5%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families39%Far more than most schools
Places74 spare101 pupils, 175 places
Pupils per teacher15.8School workforce census

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a converter academy in Stockport for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 101 pupils and room for 175. About 39 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. We give it 21 out of 100. That puts it below schools like it, ahead of 31% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted visited in June 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Etchells Street, St Petersgate, Stockport, SK1 1EF0161 480 5029st-josephs-pri.stockport.sch.ukMrs Natalie Holland headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 9 June 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”
As expected
Achievement
As expected
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
As expected
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
As expected
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
As expected
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
As expected
Early years
As expected
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
28 September 2022S5 InspectionRequires improvement

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

17 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. With a year group this small, a couple of children can move the percentages a long way.

Reached the expected level at 1153%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level6%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score105.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score102.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 67%67%20172018: 41%41%20182019: 42%42%20192023: 42%42%20232024: 55%55%20242025: 53%53%2025
Since 2017: -14%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023†2019†2018†2017†StockportEngland
Pupils tested172224242221
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths53%55%42%42%41%67%64%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths6%0%4%8%0%5%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score105.0105.0104.0103.0105.0105.0106.3105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score102.0101.0100.0103.0102.0106.0105.3104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score103.0103.0104.0105.0103.0106.0106.0105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard76%73%75%58%77%86%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard65%59%46%71%68%95%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)71%64%58%50%77%71%
Reading progressReading progress score+0.0-1.2-1.0+1.0
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.8-1.7-4.0+0.9
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged75%25%20%18%38%67%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged33%71%57%62%43%67%

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 Stockport Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2023. 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 11Low-income pupils vs other pupils
75%33%
Gap 42 ptsEngland 21 pts
Reached the expected level at 11Boys vs girls
50%56%
Gap 6 ptsEngland 5 pts
Reached the higher level at 11Low-income pupils vs all pupils
0%6%
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.

Plenty of spare places101 pupils for 175 places, 2024/25
58% full

74 places were empty (42% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in.

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 Stockport 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 roll101Census January 2026
Places17558% full
Pupils from low-income families39%39% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English44%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%8 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan7%7 pupils with a plan
Average class size23.34 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)35%£52,700 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls48 / 53
White British pupils38%

Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 20.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 26.5 (England 27.3).

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (8), emotional and mental health (4), Moderate learning difficulty (3).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024
Pupils on roll101102119
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals39%34%31%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language44%34%37%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support16%16%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans10%3%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 94.5% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance94.5%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school14.4%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils5.92024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission2.1%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/23†2021/22†2020/21†2018/19†England
Sessions missedOverall absence5.5%7.1%6.6%6.9%4.2%4.5%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence3.4%5.2%5.2%5.6%3.5%3.4%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence2.1%1.9%1.4%1.3%0.7%1.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence14.4%25.8%26.0%26.8%14.2%7.9%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate5.95.0
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00

† These attendance figures are for St Joseph's Stockport Catholic Primary School, the school this one replaced in September 2023. 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.

Teachers6.4full-time equivalent, 7 people
Pupils per teacher15.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants3.2full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£56,255
Teachers who left in the year11%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher2.22024/25

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.

Spend per pupil£8,667England £7,128. Total £884k
Income per pupil£9,422England £7,587. Total £961k
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,216England £3,405
Money in reserve-2%In the red: -£19k, -£185 per pupil. England 9%
Money in against money out+£77kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£8,667spent 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 m412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate1 per 1,000 people99% lower than the England average
Typical house price£305,000Stockport
Nearest bus stop100 mSt Petersgate, 57 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 Mary's Roman Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary AcademyAcademy530 m90Inadequate 202256Compare
St Thomas' Church of England Primary School StockportChurch of England640 m149Requires improvement 20233Compare
Vernon Park Primary SchoolCouncil710 m312No overall grade 20257Compare
Our Lady's Catholic Primary SchoolRoman Catholic840 m157Good 202377Compare
St Matthew's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy850 m201Good 20236Compare
All Saints Church of England Primary School StockportChurch of England0.7 miles174No overall grade 20246Compare
Banks Lane Junior SchoolCouncil0.8 miles358Good 202051Compare
Banks Lane Infant SchoolCouncil0.8 miles274Good 202354Compare

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy 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.

Beats31%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the lower half of its group. Its score of 21 is 10 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 2 · middle 31 · highest 90100

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 Primary School, a Voluntary Academy, 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 Francis RC Primary School, A Voluntary AcademyAcademy4.3 miles199Inadequate 202327Compare
Our Lady's RC Primary School ManchesterRoman Catholic5.4 miles185Good 202430Compare
St Paul's CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England8.6 miles191Report card 202636Compare
Whitefield Community Primary SchoolAcademy10.8 miles170Good 202156Compare
St John Church of England Primary School, FarnworthAcademy13.5 miles154Good 202250Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 21 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 21% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 8 to 47. 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 years25%below
-0.13
2025 and 2024 results; 17 pupils
Ofsted inspection20%below
-0.14
Ofsted report card, 0.3 years old
Progress pupils make20%in line
-0.06
Contextualised attainment (no DfE progress measure available); 17 pupils
Direction of travel over five years0%no data
Attendance and behaviour10%in line
-0.03
2024/25; 97 pupils
Results, allowing for the mix of pupils10%in line
-0.03
Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 17 pupils
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 Voluntary Academy a good school?

The figures are weak. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy scores 21 out of 100. That is below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 31% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 8 to 47, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.

What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 9 June 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as as expected, behaviour and attendance as as expected, leadership as as expected.

How good are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 53% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 6% went further and reached the higher level. The year group was small, so the percentages jump around a lot from year to year.

How many pupils does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have?

101 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 175 places, so it is 58% full.

Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy oversubscribed?

Probably not. 74 places were empty in 2024/25 (42% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

What is attendance like at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

Pupils were in school 94.5% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 14% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

How big are the classes at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy?

The average class had 23.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.

Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, a Voluntary Academy have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

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

Contact and details

Address
Etchells Street, St Petersgate, Stockport, SK1 1EF
Telephone
0161 480 5029
Website
www.st-josephs-pri.stockport.sch.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Natalie Holland
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Diocese of Shrewsbury
Multi-academy trust
Corpus Christi Catholic Academy Trust (15 schools)
Local authority
Stockport
Ward
Brinnington & Stockport Central
Constituency
Stockport
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2023 (academy converter)
URN
149935 · LAESTAB 3563515 · UKPRN 10092901
Formerly
St Joseph's Stockport Catholic Primary School

Where these figures come from