St Joseph Catholic Primary School
Ainsdale Road, South Oxhey, Watford, WD19 7DW
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Linda Payne
- Diocese
- Archdiocese of Westminster
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- South West Hertfordshire
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 239
- URN
- 117465
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02084285371
About this school
St Joseph Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Watford. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 239 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. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 8 June 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Outstanding. 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 | 30 | 29 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 63% | 66% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% | 0% | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 83% | 86% | 82% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 72% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 77% | 79% | 82% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | +3.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.80 | - | - |
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 Catholic Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Hertfordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 63% | 59.1% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 66% | 60.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 61% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.8% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 237 |
| 2023/24 | 231 |
| 2024/25 | 242 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph Catholic Primary School compares
St Joseph Catholic Primary School ranked 154th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 4.8% | 14.8% | 239 | — |
| Warren Dell Primary School | 73% | 5.5% | 27.5% | 264 | 0.3 miles |
| Oxhey Wood Primary School | 75% | 6.1% | 31.7% | 387 | 0.3 miles |
| Greenfields Primary School | 67% | 6.7% | 24.1% | 212 | 0.6 miles |
| Woodhall Primary School | 39% | 5.6% | 41.6% | 76 | 0.7 miles |
| St Meryl School | 57% | 4.9% | 11.4% | 219 | 0.8 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)
- 14.76%
- English as an additional language
- 41.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.75%
- Persistent absence
- 10.99%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Warren Dell Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Oxhey Wood Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Greenfields Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Watford
-
Woodhall Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Watford
-
St Meryl School0.8 miles
Primary · Watford
Other schools in Watford
St Joseph Catholic Primary School ranks 18th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Watford.
- Alban Wood Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Ascot Road Primary School Primary
- Beechfield School Primary
- Bromet Primary School Primary
- Cassiobury Infant and Nursery School Primary
- Cassiobury Junior School Primary
- Central Primary School Primary
- Chater Infant School Primary
- Chater Junior School Primary
- Cherry Tree Primary School Primary
- Coates Way JMI and Nursery School Primary
- Field Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Joseph Catholic Primary School teach?
- St Joseph Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Watford.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of St Joseph Catholic Primary School is Mrs Linda Payne, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Joseph Catholic Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph Catholic Primary School, 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 Catholic Primary School?
- St Joseph Catholic Primary School has 239 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Joseph Catholic Primary School full?
- St Joseph Catholic Primary School has capacity for 240 pupils and 239 on roll (100%), so it is at or above 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 Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Archdiocese of Westminster.
- Does St Joseph Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have St Joseph Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 63% in 2022/23 and 68% 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 Catholic Primary School rank locally?
- St Joseph Catholic Primary School ranked 154th of 339 primary schools in Hertfordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 66% 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 Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- St Joseph Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.8% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph Catholic Primary School'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.