St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy
West Close Road, Barnoldswick, BB18 5EN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Carmen Hargreaves
- Diocese
- Diocese of Leeds (rc)
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Bishop Wheeler Catholic Academy Trust
- Constituency
- Pendle and Clitheroe
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 140
- Pupils on roll
- 119
- URN
- 150299
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01282813045
About this school
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Barnoldswick. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 119 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out 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
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
This inspection took place when the school was registered as St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Barnoldswick (URN 119685).
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2024/25 |
|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 7% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% |
| Expected standard in maths | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 73% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 |
How St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy compares
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 254th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 60% | 4% | 11.3% | 119 | — |
| Gisburn Road Community Primary School | 67% | 4.8% | 20.2% | 204 | 0.2 miles |
| Coates Lane Primary School | 37% | 6.3% | 23.5% | 157 | 0.5 miles |
| Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School | 64% | 4.7% | 20.6% | 342 | 0.6 miles |
| Salterforth Primary School | 62% | 4.2% | 16.5% | 102 | 1.3 miles |
| Thornton in Craven Community Primary School | 85% | 3.4% | 4.8% | 91 | 2.1 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)
- 11.3%
- English as an additional language
- 30.4%
- Overall absence
- 3.96%
- Persistent absence
- 4.85%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Gisburn Road Community Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Barnoldswick
-
Coates Lane Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Barnoldswick
-
Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Barnoldswick
-
Salterforth Primary School1.3 miles
Primary · Barnoldswick
-
Thornton in Craven Community Primary School2.1 miles
Primary · Thornton-in-Craven
Other schools in Barnoldswick
St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranks 6th of the 7 ranked primary schools in Barnoldswick.
- Barnoldswick Church of England Controlled Primary School Primary
- Coates Lane Primary School Primary
- Earby Springfield Primary School Primary
- Gisburn Road Community Primary School Primary
- Kelbrook Primary School Primary
- Salterforth Primary School Primary
- West Craven High School Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy teach?
- St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barnoldswick.
- Who is the headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is Mrs Carmen Hargreaves, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a 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 many pupils are at St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy?
- St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy has 119 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy full?
- St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy has capacity for 140 pupils and 119 on roll (85%), 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 Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Leeds (rc).
- Does St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy part of an academy trust?
- St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy is part of THE BISHOP WHEELER CATHOLIC ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How does St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy compare with other schools in Lancashire?
- St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 254th of 445 primary schools in Lancashire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 40% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 85% 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 Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 4% in the latest published census.
- What are St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, St Joseph's Catholic primary School, a 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.