St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch
Dorset Road, Somerford, Christchurch, BH23 3DA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Peter Doherty
- Diocese
- Diocese of Portsmouth (rc)
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 218
- Pupils on roll
- 199
- URN
- 113848
- Local authority
- Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01202485976
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Christchurch. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 199 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 June 2024, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 32 | 27 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 75% | 75% | 74% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 16% | 15% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 88% | 81% |
| Expected standard in maths | 84% | 81% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 88% | 91% | 89% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 109.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.40 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 75% | 56.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 75% | 58.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 74% | 59% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 215 |
| 2023/24 | 215 |
| 2024/25 | 197 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch compares
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch ranked 11th of 52 primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 74% | 7.1% | 33.5% | 199 | — |
| Somerford Primary School | 41% | 6.5% | 49.7% | 169 | 0.5 miles |
| Mudeford Junior School | 82% | 4.3% | 19.5% | 255 | 0.8 miles |
| Mudeford Community Infants' School | — | 3.8% | 13.8% | 176 | 0.8 miles |
| Burton Church of England Primary School | 53% | 4.5% | 21% | 258 | 1.4 miles |
| The Priory Church of England Primary School | 62% | 6.4% | 10.3% | 198 | 1.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 33.5%
- English as an additional language
- 9.1%
- Overall absence
- 7.08%
- Persistent absence
- 21.05%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Somerford Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Mudeford Junior School0.8 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Mudeford Community Infants' School0.8 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
Burton Church of England Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Christchurch
-
The Priory Church of England Primary School1.6 miles
Primary · Christchurch
Other schools in Christchurch
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch ranks 3rd of the 10 ranked primary schools in Christchurch.
- Bransgore Church of England Primary School Primary
- Burton Church of England Primary School Primary
- Christchurch Infant School Primary
- Christchurch Junior School Primary
- Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Primary
- Mudeford Community Infants' School Primary
- Mudeford Junior School Primary
- Somerford Primary School Primary
- Sopley Primary School Primary
- The Priory Church of England Primary School Primary
- Twynham Primary School Primary
- Highcliffe School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Christchurch.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch is Mr Peter Doherty, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch has 199 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch has capacity for 218 pupils and 199 on roll (91%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Portsmouth (rc).
- Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch as having no nursery classes.
- How have St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 75% in 2022/23 and 74% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch rank locally?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch ranked 11th of 52 primary schools in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 76% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.