St. Joseph's Infant School
Orchard Street, Chichester, PO19 1DQ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 2 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Lisa Hardy
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Diocese of Chichester Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Chichester
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 135
- Pupils on roll
- 129
- URN
- 148286
- Local authority
- West Sussex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01243783709
About this school
St. Joseph's Infant School is a primary academy in Chichester. It teaches children aged 2 to 7 and has 129 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St. Joseph's Infant School, 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 9 November 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good, but had some concerns; a full inspection will follow. 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.
Trends over time
How St. Joseph's Infant 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 | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.5% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 9.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 112 |
| 2023/24 | 152 |
| 2024/25 | 152 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St. Joseph's Infant School compares
Its absence rate was lower than 10% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 9.2% | 27.6% | 129 | — |
| St. Joseph's CofE Junior School | 36% | 8.3% | 39.5% | 165 | 0.1 miles |
| Parklands Community Primary School | 65% | 4.8% | 22.3% | 426 | 0.3 miles |
| St Richard's Catholic Primary School | — | — | — | — | 0.6 miles |
| Jessie Younghusband Primary School | 75% | 3.8% | 11.3% | 213 | 0.8 miles |
| Portfield Primary Academy | 43% | 7% | 40.5% | 288 | 0.9 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)
- 27.64%
- English as an additional language
- 28.3%
- Overall absence
- 9.22%
- Persistent absence
- 32%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St. Joseph's CofE Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
Parklands Community Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
St Richard's Catholic Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
Jessie Younghusband Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Chichester
-
Portfield Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · West Sussex
Other schools in Chichester
- Aldingbourne Primary School Primary
- Birdham CE Primary School Primary
- Bosham Primary School Primary
- Boxgrove CofE Primary School Primary
- Chidham Parochial Primary School Primary
- Compton and Up Marden CofE Primary School Primary
- East Wittering Community Primary School Primary
- Eastergate CofE Primary School Primary
- Fishbourne CofE Primary School Primary
- Funtington Primary School Primary
- Jessie Younghusband Primary School Primary
- Kingsham Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does St. Joseph's Infant School teach?
- St. Joseph's Infant School teaches children aged 2 to 7. It is a primary school in Chichester.
- Who is the headteacher of St. Joseph's Infant School?
- The headteacher of St. Joseph's Infant School is Headteacher Lisa Hardy, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St. Joseph's Infant School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St. Joseph's Infant 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 many pupils are at St. Joseph's Infant School?
- St. Joseph's Infant School has 129 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 2 to 7.
- Is St. Joseph's Infant School full?
- St. Joseph's Infant School has capacity for 135 pupils and 129 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 Infant School a faith school?
- No. St. Joseph's Infant School has no designated religious character.
- Does St. Joseph's Infant School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St. Joseph's Infant School as having nursery classes.
- Is St. Joseph's Infant School part of an academy trust?
- St. Joseph's Infant School is part of DIOCESE OF CHICHESTER ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What is St. Joseph's Infant School's absence rate?
- St. Joseph's Infant School's overall absence rate is 9.2% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- Does St. Joseph's Infant School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for St. Joseph's Infant School. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
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.