St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy
Swainsea Lane, Pickering, YO18 8AR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- NICHOLAS POSTGATE CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Gerard Eddy
- Diocese
- Diocese of Middlesbrough
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Nicholas Postgate Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Thirsk and Malton
- Setting
- Larger rural: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 105
- Pupils on roll
- 84
- URN
- 147243
- Local authority
- North Yorkshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01751473102
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Pickering. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 84 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 4 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 | 10 | 17 | 12 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 47% | 58% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 76% | 58% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 65% | 75% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 76% | 83% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.40 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -1.60 | - | - |
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 - a Catholic voluntary academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | North Yorkshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 60% | 56.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 47% | 58.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 58% | 59.2% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 88 |
| 2023/24 | 90 |
| 2024/25 | 84 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy compares
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy ranked 135th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 58% | 4.9% | 48.5% | 84 | — |
| Pickering Community Junior School | 45% | 4.4% | 21% | 184 | 0.1 miles |
| Pickering Community Infant School | — | 4.6% | 14.7% | 197 | 0.6 miles |
| Thornton Dale CofE Primary School | 63% | 4.1% | 8% | 146 | 2.6 miles |
| Sinnington Community Primary School | 100% | 4% | 4% | 110 | 3.3 miles |
| Kirkbymoorside Community Primary School | 44% | 5.8% | 36.8% | 181 | 6.4 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)
- 48.53%
- English as an additional language
- 4.8%
- Overall absence
- 4.93%
- Persistent absence
- 13.64%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Pickering Community Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Pickering
-
Pickering Community Infant School0.6 miles
Primary · Pickering
-
Thornton Dale CofE Primary School2.6 miles
Primary · Pickering
-
Sinnington Community Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · York
-
Kirkbymoorside Community Primary School6.4 miles
Primary · York
Other schools in Pickering
- Pickering Community Infant School Primary
- Pickering Community Junior School Primary
- Rosedale Abbey Community Primary School Primary
- Thornton Dale CofE Primary School Primary
- Lady Lumley's Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Pickering.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy is Mr Gerard Eddy, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy, 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 - a Catholic voluntary academy?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy has 84 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy has capacity for 105 pupils and 84 on roll (80%), 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 - a Catholic voluntary academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Middlesbrough.
- Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy is part of NICHOLAS POSTGATE 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 - a Catholic voluntary academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 58% 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 - a Catholic voluntary academy rank locally?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy ranked 135th of 233 primary schools in North Yorkshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 36% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% 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 - a Catholic voluntary academy's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy's overall absence rate is 4.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School - a Catholic voluntary academy'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.