School Chooser

St Joseph's RC Infant School

Primary · ages 3-7MixedRoman Catholic154 pupilsNurseryLondonCroydon
School Chooser Score
9
Well below
similar schools
Likely range 4 to 22
Out of 100. Better than 11% of the 50 schools most like it. Slipping year on year.
#14,613 of 16,041 in England#79 in CroydonHow it is worked out
OfstedGoodConfirmed by Ofsted, June 2024
Attendance92.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families23%A bit fewer than most schools
Places56 spare154 pupils, 210 places
Pupils per teacher21.1School workforce census
Pupils on roll154Census January 2026

St Joseph's RC Infant School is a Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) in London for boys and girls aged 3 to 7. It has 154 pupils and room for 210. About 23 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit fewer than at most schools. We give it 9 out of 100. That puts it well below schools like it, ahead of 11% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2024.

Crown Dale, Upper Norwood, London, SE19 3NX020 8670 2385stjosephsfederation.co.ukMrs Danielle Ashley headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

A shorter visit on 26 June 2024 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.

Results

No published results yet for this school.

Getting a place

Open to all. There is no entrance test. As a Roman Catholic school it may put families of that faith first. Check the school's own admissions rules.

Plenty of spare places117 pupils for 178 places, 2024/25
66% full

61 places were empty (34% of the total), so almost everyone who applies gets in. Pupil numbers have fallen by 21% 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 Croydon 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 roll154Census January 2026
Places21073% full
Pupils from low-income families20%23% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English37%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support18%27 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan2%3 pupils with a plan
Average class size24.26 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)23%£45,725 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls81 / 73
White British pupils7%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (22), emotional and mental health (4), Specific learning difficulty (3), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll154153151160164148
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals20%25%20%24%27%26%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language37%45%51%53%38%28%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support–19%14%19%12%10%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans–1%1%0%1%1%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 92.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance92.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school19.0%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils0.72024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission3.0%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence7.6%6.5%5.7%5.9%3.0%4.9%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence4.5%5.6%4.1%5.1%2.7%4.4%–
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence3.0%0.9%1.6%0.8%0.3%0.5%–
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence19.0%14.3%16.8%17.6%7.8%12.6%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate0.71.30.00.00.0––
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000––

Staff and money

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

Teachers6.9full-time equivalent, 9 people
Pupils per teacher21.1Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.5full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£43,297
Teachers who left in the year29%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£8,428England £7,738. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£8,242England £7,697. Total £1.2m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,484England £3,480
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£10k, -£72 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out-£27kit spent more than it took in this year
Where the money goes£8,428spent 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 m47012 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate54 per 1,000 people40% lower than the England average
Typical house price£425,000Croydon
Nearest bus stop80 mNorwood School, 19 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 Joseph's RC Junior SchoolRoman Catholic90 m169Not inspected40Compare
St Luke's Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy530 m201Good 202353Compare
Crown Lane Primary SchoolCouncil710 m223Good 202329Compare
Rockmount Primary SchoolCouncil720 m453No overall grade 202597Compare
Downsview Primary and Nursery SchoolCouncil780 m620Good 202472Compare
Kingswood Primary SchoolCouncil820 m362No overall grade 202445Compare
Julian's SchoolFoundation0.7 miles908Good 202369Compare
Elm Wood SchoolCouncil0.8 miles364No overall grade 202546Compare
Primary schools in CroydonPrimary schools in LondonBest primary schools in England

Compared with schools like it

Our score compares St Joseph's RC Infant School with the 47 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 47 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.

Beats11%of schools with a similar mix of pupils
In the bottom quarter of its group. Its score of 9 is 42 points below the typical school in the group.
0Lowest of the group 0 · middle 51 · highest 100100

Nearby schools with a similar mix of pupils that score higher

Of those 47 schools, these are within 25 km and score at least five points more than St Joseph's RC 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
Streatham Wells PrimaryAcademy1.4 miles228Outstanding 2024100Compare
Baring Primary SchoolCouncil5.1 miles193No overall grade 202546Compare
St Peter's Eaton Square CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England5.5 miles147No overall grade 202595Compare
St Edmund's Catholic SchoolRoman Catholic5.8 miles206Good 202367Compare
St Clement Danes CofE Primary SchoolChurch of England6.4 miles193No overall grade 202499Compare
Mosaic Jewish Primary SchoolFree school6.6 miles151No overall grade 202553Compare
Mulberry Wood Wharf Primary SchoolFree school6.8 miles186No overall grade 202573Compare
Cavendish Primary SchoolCouncil8.0 miles197Report card 202555Compare

How the score was worked out

The score is out of 100. A 9 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 9% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 4 to 22. 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%in line
+0.03
Ofsted grade, 2.2 years old
Progress pupils make0%no data
–
Direction of travel over five years10%well below
-0.52
results and attendance falling year on year
Attendance and behaviour10%below
-0.23
2024/25; 79 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 RC Infant School a good school?

The figures are weak. St Joseph's RC Infant School scores 9 out of 100. That is well below schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 11% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 4 to 22, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much. Its results have been slipping over the last five years.

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

Ofsted rated St Joseph's RC Infant School good at its last full inspection on 26 June 2024.

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

154 pupils aged 3 to 7 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 210 places, so it is 73% full.

Is St Joseph's RC Infant School oversubscribed?

Probably not. 61 places were empty in 2024/25 (34% of the total), so most families who apply get a place.

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

Pupils were in school 92.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 19% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

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

The average class had 24.2 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
Crown Dale, Upper Norwood, London, SE19 3NX
Telephone
020 8670 2385
Website
www.stjosephsfederation.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Danielle Ashley
Type of school
Roman Catholic school (voluntary aided) (Voluntary aided school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Primary school, ages 3-7, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Religious character
Roman Catholic, Archdiocese of Southwark
Local authority
Croydon
Ward
Crystal Palace & Upper Norwood
Constituency
Streatham and Croydon North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
101803 · LAESTAB 3063412 · UKPRN 10079606
Official recordOfsted reportsGovernment performance tablesDownload this school's data (CSV)

Where these figures come from