St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract
Newgate, Pontefract, WF8 4AA
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE BISHOP KONSTANT CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Michaela Velayudhan Tomlin
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (rc)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Konstant Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Pontefract, Castleford and Knottingley
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 222
- URN
- 138947
- Local authority
- Wakefield
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01977701493
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Pontefract. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 222 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract, and its latest judgement is set out 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 31 | 30 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 73% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 6% | 7% | 10% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 77% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 61% | 87% | 83% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 71% | 77% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 105.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -1.00 | - | - |
| 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's Catholic Primary School Pontefract has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Wakefield average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52% | 59.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 62.8% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 63.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.4% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 239 |
| 2023/24 | 237 |
| 2024/25 | 227 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract compares
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract ranked 26th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 77% | 4.7% | 10.4% | 222 | — |
| St Giles C of E Academy | 78% | 5.1% | 22.3% | 337 | 0.4 miles |
| Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School | 93% | 3.7% | 24% | 434 | 0.4 miles |
| Larks Hill Junior and Infant School | 97% | 2.4% | 6.4% | 203 | 0.7 miles |
| Carleton Park Junior and Infant School | 87% | 3.2% | 21.7% | 208 | 0.7 miles |
| De Lacy Primary School | 80% | 4.6% | 51.9% | 342 | 1.0 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)
- 10.4%
- English as an additional language
- 20.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.66%
- Persistent absence
- 10.99%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Giles C of E Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Halfpenny Lane Junior Infant and Nursery School0.4 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Larks Hill Junior and Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
Carleton Park Junior and Infant School0.7 miles
Primary · Pontefract
-
De Lacy Primary School1.0 miles
Primary · Pontefract
Other schools in Pontefract
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract ranks 10th of the 33 ranked primary schools in Pontefract.
- Ackworth Howard Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School Primary
- Ackworth Mill Dam School Primary
- Ash Grove Primary Academy Primary
- Badsworth Church of England Voluntary Controlled Junior and Infant School Primary
- Carleton Park Junior and Infant School Primary
- Cherry Tree Academy Primary
- Darrington Church of England Primary School Primary
- De Lacy Primary School Primary
- Featherstone All Saints CofE Academy Primary
- Featherstone Girnhill Infant School Primary
- Featherstone North Featherstone Junior and Infant School Primary
- Featherstone Purston Infant School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pontefract.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is Mrs Michaela Velayudhan Tomlin, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract, 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 Pontefract?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract has 222 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract has capacity for 210 pupils and 222 on roll (106%), 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's Catholic Primary School Pontefract a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Leeds (rc).
- Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract as having nursery classes.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract part of an academy trust?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract is part of THE BISHOP KONSTANT CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 52% in 2022/23 and 77% 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 Pontefract compare with other schools in Wakefield?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract ranked 26th of 98 primary schools in Wakefield for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 69% 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 Pontefract's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract's overall absence rate is 4.7% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School Pontefract'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 1 July 2026.