SCHOOL PROFILE

St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wrightington

Primary Voluntary aided school URN 119696
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 140 Published school capacity
Capacity used 47.9% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest inspection

19 May 2026
Latest published outcome Met
Renewed framework
Safeguarding Met
Inclusion Needs attention
Curriculum & teaching Needs attention
Achievement Needs attention
Attendance & behaviour Expected standard
Personal development Expected standard
Leadership & governance Needs attention
INSPECTION HISTORY

Previous Ofsted activity

22 March 2022
Ungraded inspection School remains Good
Published 19 May 2022
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Voluntary aided school
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Roman Catholic
Local authority Lancashire
Trust Not applicable
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 67 67 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 27 40.3% of pupils
Male pupils 40 59.7% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

4.5%
20.3 pts below England
School 4.5%
West Lancashire 22.2%
North West 28.5%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

6.0%
14.3 pts below England
School 6.0%
West Lancashire 7.2%
North West 18.1%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

1.5%
0.5 pts above England
School 1.5%
West Lancashire 0.3%
North West 0.8%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
92.5%
62
Indian
3.0%
2
African
1.5%
1
Any other Mixed background
1.5%
1
Any other White background
1.5%
1
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 22.4% 15 of 67 pupils
1.6 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 22.4%
West Lancashire 21.8%
North West 22.1%
England 20.8%
SEN support 11.9% 8 pupils
England 14.8% 2.8 pts below
EHC plans 10.5% 7 pupils
England 6.0% 4.4 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Social, emotional & mental health 7
No specialist assessment yet 3
Speech, language & communication 3
Autistic spectrum disorder 2

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

65.0% 4.6 pts above England
School 65.0%
West Lancashire 60.6%
North West 59.1%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

65.0%

8.8 pts below England

School 65.0%
West Lancashire 74.4%
North West 73.2%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

76.0%

5.7 pts above England

School 76.0%
West Lancashire 71.9%
North West 69.2%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

76.0%

4.0 pts above England

School 76.0%
West Lancashire 73.0%
North West 71.7%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

5.91%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.31 pts lower than England
School 5.91%
West Lancashire 6.62%
North West 6.25%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

13.33%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

2.48 pts lower than England
School 13.33%
West Lancashire 17.12%
North West 15.89%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.67%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

0.86 pts higher than England
School 2.67%
West Lancashire 1.89%
North West 1.75%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

47.9% 40.3 pts below England
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Wrightington
47.9%
West Lancashire
88.5%
North West
90.6%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information