St Joseph's Catholic Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 30 June 2026

Pupils are happy and feel safe at St Joseph’s Catholic Academy. They say that they are proud to be part of the school, where they are valued and supported. Pupils are welcomed into a calm, well-structured and friendly environment. They are excited and keen to learn. Most pupils attend well. Well-established routines and increasingly high expectations of behaviour ensure that pupils learn in calm classrooms. Pupils behave well. They are friendly and courteous. Pupils show genuine care and respect for each other. Pupils report that incidents of bullying are rare. Staff build effective, trusting relationships with pupils and their families. Pupils are confident that they can share any worries that they may have. They know that staff care for them and will listen to them if they have a concern. Pupils take part in enrichment activities, including sports, construction and arts clubs. They enjoy the trips and residential visits. Pupils enjoy their leadership roles. For example, they can be ‘play leaders’. Pupils enjoy this responsibility and say that they feel proud to set up activities for the younger pupils. Such opportunities help pupils to be well prepared for later life. Children swiftly settle into school routines in the early years. They quickly become independent learners. They work well together and support one another. Pupils enjoy learning and say that their teachers help them. However, their achievement at the end of key stage 2 has been inconsistent over time. Leaders take appropriate actions to improve how well pupils achieve. Nevertheless, outcomes are still not where they should be. Disadvantaged pupils, those known to social care, those who speak English as an additional language and those who have special educational needs and/or disabilities learn successfully alongside their peers. They are fully included in the life of the school and most achieve well.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that highly effective teaching is embedded across the school so that all pupils achieve well.
• Leaders should ensure that the teaching of writing improves pupils’ foundational knowledge of grammar, spelling and the quality of their handwriting.
• Leaders should ensure that interactions with children in the early years consistently promote language development.
• Leaders should ensure that pupils develop a deeper and more detailed knowledge of fundamental British values.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)