St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington
Village Lane, Washington, NE38 7HU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Elizabeth Maher
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Washington and Gateshead South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 236
- Pupils on roll
- 227
- URN
- 147123
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01919172484
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Washington. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 227 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
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 | 25 | 26 | 32 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 52% | 73% | 72% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 8% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 85% | 94% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 81% | 88% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 60% | 73% | 88% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 102.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 105.0 | 105.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.70 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.60 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.30 | - | - |
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, Washington has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Sunderland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 52% | 60.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 73% | 63.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 72% | 63% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 221 |
| 2023/24 | 228 |
| 2024/25 | 232 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington compares
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington ranked 29th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 72% | 3.6% | 11.6% | 227 | — |
| Wessington Primary School | 23% | 6.2% | 48.5% | 218 | 0.3 miles |
| John F Kennedy Primary School | 65% | 6.1% | 25.9% | 412 | 0.5 miles |
| Biddick Primary School | 83% | 4.5% | 13.7% | 285 | 0.5 miles |
| Barmston Village Primary School | 60% | 5.4% | 64.5% | 206 | 0.5 miles |
| Albany Village Primary School | 57% | 5.8% | 51% | 214 | 0.7 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)
- 11.59%
- English as an additional language
- 6%
- Overall absence
- 3.56%
- Persistent absence
- 5.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wessington Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Washington
-
John F Kennedy Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Washington
-
Biddick Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Washington
-
Barmston Village Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Washington
-
Albany Village Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Washington
Other schools in Washington
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington ranks 8th of the 17 ranked primary schools in Washington.
- Albany Village Primary School Primary
- Barmston Village Primary School Primary
- Biddick Primary School Primary
- Blackfell Primary School Primary
- Fatfield Academy Primary
- George Washington Primary School Primary
- Holley Park Academy Primary
- John F Kennedy Primary School Primary
- Lambton Primary School Primary
- Marlborough Primary School Primary
- Oxclose Primary Academy Primary
- Rickleton Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Washington.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington is Mrs Elizabeth Maher, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington, 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, Washington?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington has 227 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington has capacity for 236 pupils and 227 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. 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, Washington a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington is part of BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION 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, Washington'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 72% 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, Washington rank locally?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington ranked 29th of 75 primary schools in Sunderland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 71% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 93% 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, Washington's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington's overall absence rate is 3.6% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Washington'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 10 July 2026.