St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham
Highford Lane, Hexham, NE46 2DD
- Phase
- Middle deemed secondary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 9 to 13
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Nicholas Wood
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Sponsor
- Bishop Wilkinson Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Hexham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 360
- Pupils on roll
- 168
- URN
- 148260
- Local authority
- Northumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01434605124
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham is a Roman Catholic middle academy in Hexham. It teaches children aged 9 to 13 and has 168 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham, 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 25 October 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 | 64 | 44 | 39 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 59% | 50% | 59% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 11% | 5% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 77% | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 75% | 57% | 74% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% | 66% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 105.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.30 | - | - |
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 Middle School, Hexham has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Northumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 59% | 54.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 50% | 52.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 59% | 56% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.7% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 238 |
| 2023/24 | 186 |
| 2024/25 | 179 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham compares
St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham ranked 45th of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% 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 | 59% | 4.9% | 26.3% | 168 | — |
| Hexham Middle School | 69% | 5.2% | 14.9% | 619 | 0.7 miles |
| Corbridge Middle School | 75% | 5.9% | 11.3% | 367 | 3.9 miles |
| Ovingham Middle School | 68% | 4.3% | 11% | 344 | 9.6 miles |
| Highfield Middle School | 55% | 6.2% | 33.5% | 365 | 10.4 miles |
| Queen Elizabeth High School | — | 9.1% | 14.2% | 1,299 | 0.1 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)
- 26.26%
- English as an additional language
- 2.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.93%
- Persistent absence
- 9.63%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Hexham Middle School0.7 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Hexham
-
Corbridge Middle School3.9 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Corbridge
-
Ovingham Middle School9.6 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Prudhoe
-
Highfield Middle School10.4 miles
Middle deemed secondary · Prudhoe
-
Queen Elizabeth High School0.1 miles
Secondary · Hexham
Other schools in Hexham
St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham ranks 4th of the 6 ranked primary schools in Hexham.
- Bellingham Middle School and Sports College Middle deemed secondary
- Hexham Middle School Middle deemed secondary
- Acomb First School Primary
- Beaufront First School Primary
- Bellingham Primary School Primary
- Chollerton Church of England Aided First School Primary
- Greenhaugh Primary School Primary
- Henshaw Church of England Primary School Primary
- Hexham First School Primary
- Humshaugh Church of England First School Primary
- Kielder Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Newbrough Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham teaches children aged 9 to 13. It is a middle school in Hexham.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham is Mr Nicholas Wood, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham, 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 Middle School, Hexham?
- St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham has 168 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 9 to 13.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham has capacity for 360 pupils and 168 on roll (47%), 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 Middle School, Hexham a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham part of an academy trust?
- St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham 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 Middle School, Hexham's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 59% in 2022/23 and 59% 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 Middle School, Hexham compare with other schools in Northumberland?
- St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham ranked 45th of 72 primary schools in Northumberland for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 38% 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 Middle School, Hexham's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham'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 Middle School, Hexham's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Middle School, Hexham'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.