St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton
Church Lane, Murton, Seaham, SR7 9RD
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 2 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Jill Cartwright
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Easington
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 127
- URN
- 114276
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915261795
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Seaham. It teaches children aged 2 to 11 and has 127 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton, and its latest judgement is set out 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 24 May 2023, 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 | 21 | 25 | 24 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 57% | 72% | 71% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 10% | 16% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 76% | 88% |
| Expected standard in maths | 95% | 92% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 86% | 76% | 75% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.70 | - | - |
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, Murton has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 57% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 72% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 71% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 159 |
| 2023/24 | 161 |
| 2024/25 | 142 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton compares
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton ranked 62nd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 71% | 3.2% | 19.7% | 127 | — |
| Ribbon School | 64% | 5.3% | 41.7% | 514 | 0.3 miles |
| South Hetton Primary | 57% | 6% | 37.1% | 202 | 1.4 miles |
| Easington Lane Primary School | 63% | 6.5% | 49.6% | 281 | 1.7 miles |
| Seaview Primary School | 64% | 7.7% | 53.5% | 256 | 1.8 miles |
| Westlea Primary School | 77% | 5.9% | 48.2% | 247 | 1.8 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)
- 19.72%
- English as an additional language
- 15.5%
- Overall absence
- 3.24%
- Persistent absence
- 5.8%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Ribbon School0.3 miles
Primary · Seaham
-
South Hetton Primary1.4 miles
Primary · Durham
-
Easington Lane Primary School1.7 miles
Primary · Houghton le Spring
-
Seaview Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Seaham
-
Westlea Primary School1.8 miles
Primary · Seaham
Other schools in Seaham
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton ranks 5th of the 9 ranked primary schools in Seaham.
- New Seaham Academy Primary
- Ribbon School Primary
- Ropery Walk Primary School Primary
- Seaham Trinity Primary School Primary
- Seaview Primary School Primary
- St Cuthbert's Catholic Primary School, Seaham Primary
- St Mary Magdalen's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Westlea Primary School Primary
- Seaham Harbour Nursery School Nursery
- Seaham High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton teaches children aged 2 to 11. It is a primary school in Seaham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton is Mrs Jill Cartwright, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton has 127 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton has capacity for 210 pupils and 127 on roll (60%), 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, Murton a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton as having nursery classes.
- How have St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 57% in 2022/23 and 71% 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, Murton compare with other schools in County Durham?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton ranked 62nd of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 68% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 97% 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, Murton's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton's overall absence rate is 3.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Murton'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 30 June 2026.