St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall
Coast Road, Blackhall Colliery, Hartlepool, TS27 4HE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP CHADWICK CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs L Ashton
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Chadwick Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Easington
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 94
- Pupils on roll
- 84
- URN
- 148789
- Local authority
- County Durham
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01915864308
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Hartlepool. 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 21 January 2025, where inspectors found the school has improved significantly. 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 | 13 | 8 | 13 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 54% | 63% | 85% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 25% | 23% |
| Expected standard in reading | 77% | 63% | 85% |
| Expected standard in maths | 62% | 63% | 85% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 62% | 63% | 85% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 111.0 | 108.0 | 116.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 111.0 | 111.0 |
| Reading progress | +4.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -3.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.10 | - | - |
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, Blackhall has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | County Durham average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 54% | 58% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 63% | 58.4% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 85% | 60% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71 |
| 2023/24 | 66 |
| 2024/25 | 65 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall compares
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall ranked 12th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 94% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 85% | 4.2% | 32.3% | 84 | — |
| Blackhall Primary School | 53% | 5.6% | 51.4% | 310 | 0.2 miles |
| Hesleden Primary School | 42% | 5.8% | 32.1% | 85 | 1.2 miles |
| Yohden Primary School | 57% | 6.3% | 42.3% | 182 | 1.3 miles |
| Cotsford Primary School | 53% | 5% | 62.6% | 181 | 1.4 miles |
| Dene House Primary School | 59% | 7.1% | 56.5% | 303 | 1.4 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)
- 32.31%
- English as an additional language
- 7.7%
- Overall absence
- 4.15%
- Persistent absence
- 11.29%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Blackhall Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Hartlepool
-
Hesleden Primary School1.2 miles
Primary · Hartlepool
-
Yohden Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Peterlee
-
Cotsford Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Peterlee
-
Dene House Primary School1.4 miles
Primary · Peterlee
Other schools in Hartlepool
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall ranks 4th of the 30 ranked primary schools in Hartlepool.
- Barnard Grove Primary School Primary
- Blackhall Primary School Primary
- Brougham Primary School Primary
- Clavering Primary School Primary
- Eldon Grove Academy Primary
- Eskdale Academy Primary
- Fens Primary School Primary
- Golden Flatts Primary School Primary
- Grange Primary School Primary
- Greatham CofE Primary School Primary
- Hart Primary School Primary
- Hesleden Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Hartlepool.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall is Mrs L Ashton, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall, 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, Blackhall?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall has 84 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall full?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall has capacity for 94 pupils and 84 on roll (89%), 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, Blackhall a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall as having nursery classes.
- Who runs St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall is part of BISHOP CHADWICK 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, Blackhall's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 54% in 2022/23 and 85% 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, Blackhall rank locally?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall ranked 12th of 185 primary schools in County Durham for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 94% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 81% 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, Blackhall's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall's overall absence rate is 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Blackhall'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.