St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy

Harborough · LE16 9BZ

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 190 pupils, 18.4% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 17.9% on SEN support Behaviour 3.9% absence rate Staff 6.1% turnover Financials £6,619 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy

General Information

Address: Coventry Road, Market Harborough, LE16 9BZ – View on map
Phone: 01858465359
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Bernadette Dabbs
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 22 families put it first for 22 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 1 of the 22 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 10 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Roman Catholic
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

190 pupils out of 210 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 35
% eligible for free school meals: 18.4%
Pupil mix: 4 in 10 (more mixed than the Harborough average)
English as an additional language: 10% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 6.1% a year (Harborough 14.2%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 63% moved to another school, 37% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Leicestershire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 3 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Leicestershire (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 3.9%
Persistently absent pupils: 8.5%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 17.9%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.1%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Moderate learning difficulty: 13 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 3 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Specific learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Severe learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil
Autistic spectrum disorder: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2011 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 70% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 17% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 6 percentage points above the Harborough average (64%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 78% against an expected 67%)
3-year average (expected standard): 78%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 87% · Writing 83% · Maths 77% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 83%
Average test scores: reading 108, maths 105
Based on: 30 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolHarborough averageEngland↘ Falling Down 19 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 6 percentage points above the Harborough average (64%).

Year 6 SATs: 13th of 34 junior and primary schools in the area

=9Sherrier Church of England Primary School73%
#12Thurnby, St Luke's Church of England Primary School71%
#13St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy70%
#14Gilmorton Chandler Church of England Primary School69%
#15Little Bowden School68%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Tugby Church of England Primary School100%
#2Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary School90%
#3Bringhurst Primary School88%
#4Church Langton Church of England Primary School82%
=5Foxton Primary School80%
=5South Kilworth Church of England Primary School80%
#7Kibworth Church of England Primary School77%
#8Market Harborough Church of England Academy75%
=9Claybrooke Primary School73%
=9Old Mill Primary School73%
=9Sherrier Church of England Primary School73%
#12Thurnby, St Luke's Church of England Primary School71%
#13St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy70%
#14Gilmorton Chandler Church of England Primary School69%
#15Little Bowden School68%
#16Hallbrook Primary School67%
=17Houghton-on-the-Hill Church of England Primary School64%
=17Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley64%
=17St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, North Kilworth64%
=20Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School60%
=20Great Glen St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School60%
#22Ridgeway Primary Academy59%
=23Husbands Bosworth Church of England Primary School57%
=23Meadowdale Primary School57%
=23Ullesthorpe Church of England Primary School57%
#26St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell56%
#27Hallaton Church of England Primary School53%
#28Fleckney Church of England Primary School51%
#29Dunton Bassett Primary School50%
#30Farndon Fields Primary School47%
#31John Wycliffe Primary School46%
=32Billesdon Church of England Primary School44%
=32Swinford Church of England Primary School44%
#34Fernvale Primary School39%

View full Ofsted inspection report

21st of 25 primary schools in Harborough for Ofsted rating

#19South Kilworth Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#20St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, North KilworthGood
#21St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#22Swinford Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#23Tugby Church of England Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1Kibworth Church of England Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Bringhurst Primary SchoolGood
#3Claybrooke Primary SchoolGood
#4Dunton Bassett Primary SchoolGood
#5Farndon Fields Primary SchoolGood
#6Fernvale Primary SchoolGood
#7Fleckney Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#8Foxton Primary SchoolGood
#9Gilmorton Chandler Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#10Great Glen St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#11Houghton-on-the-Hill Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#12Husbands Bosworth Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#13John Wycliffe Primary SchoolGood
#14Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#15Market Harborough Church of England AcademyGood
#16Meadowdale Primary SchoolGood
#17Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton AstleyGood
#18Sherrier Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#19South Kilworth Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#20St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, North KilworthGood
#21St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary AcademyGood
#22Swinford Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#23Tugby Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#24Arnesby Church of England Primary SchoolRequires improvement
#25Hallaton Church of England Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,619 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

14th of 36 primary schools in Harborough for spending per pupil

#12Hallbrook Primary School£6,728
#13Claybrooke Primary School£6,671
#14St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,619
#15Ridgeway Primary Academy£6,459
#16Great Glen St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School£6,390

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Wellington Place Primary School£22,118
#2Arnesby Church of England Primary School£11,256
#3Hallaton Church of England Primary School£9,884
#4Tugby Church of England Primary School£8,976
#5Foxton Primary School£8,409
#6Dunton Bassett Primary School£7,879
#7Lubenham All Saints Church of England Primary School£7,747
#8Billesdon Church of England Primary School£7,621
#9Swinford Church of England Primary School£7,135
#10South Kilworth Church of England Primary School£7,015
#11Bringhurst Primary School£6,761
#12Hallbrook Primary School£6,728
#13Claybrooke Primary School£6,671
#14St Joseph's Catholic Voluntary Academy£6,619
#15Ridgeway Primary Academy£6,459
#16Great Glen St Cuthbert's Church of England Primary School£6,390
#17Farndon Fields Primary School£6,282
#18Orchard Church of England Primary School, Broughton Astley£6,274
#19Husbands Bosworth Church of England Primary School£6,265
#20St Mary's Church of England Primary School, Bitteswell£6,236
#21Ullesthorpe Church of England Primary School£6,138
#22Little Bowden School£6,019
#23Fleckney Church of England Primary School£5,990
#24Kibworth Church of England Primary School£5,981
#25Church Langton Church of England Primary School£5,945
#26Old Mill Primary School£5,820
#27Great Bowden Academy, A Church of England Primary School£5,775
#28Fernvale Primary School£5,682
#29Sherrier Church of England Primary School£5,533
#30John Wycliffe Primary School£5,515
#31Market Harborough Church of England Academy£5,470
#32St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, North Kilworth£5,400
#33Houghton-on-the-Hill Church of England Primary School£5,375
#34Meadowdale Primary School£5,264
#35Thurnby, St Luke's Church of England Primary School£4,968
#36Gilmorton Chandler Church of England Primary School£4,879

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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