Primary
St Joseph's Catholic Junior School, Birtley
School Street, Birtley, Chester le Street, DH3 2PN
Key facts
- Phase
- Primary
- Type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 7 to 11
- Intake
- Mixed
- Pupils
- 105 of 120 places
- Pupils per teacher
- 18.2
- Local authority
- Gateshead
- Religious character
- Yes
- Trust
- BISHOP WILKINSON CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
Staffing23/24
- Teachers (FTE)
- 5.1
- All staff (FTE)
- 7.0
- Pupils per adult
- 13.3
- Pupils
- 93
Staff are counted as full-time equivalents in the November school workforce census, so the pupil figure here is that census’s own and will differ a little from the roll above, which is counted in January.
Ofsted
Last inspected June 2025
- Behaviour and attitudesOutstanding
- Leadership and governanceOutstanding
- Personal developmentOutstanding
- Quality of educationOutstanding
Inspected under the previous framework, which used its own four-point scale. Ofsted now publishes a report card grading several areas separately, so these grades are not directly comparable with a recent inspection’s.
SafeguardingMet
Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)SATs results
76%
7 points above the Chester le Street average (69% across 16 schools)
109.0
3.1 above the Chester le Street average (105.9 across 16 schools)
1st of 16 by our score, among the primary schools in Chester le Street we can score - 18 in total, the rest without enough published data. Local and same-phase on purpose: a national table mostly measures who attends.
All published measures2024/2025
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| Average maths score | 108 |
| Average reading score | 109 |
| Reading, writing and maths | 76% |
| Working at a higher standard | 18% |
From the Department for Education. Measures are published per year and suppressed where a cohort is too small, so some schools show fewer. There are no results for 2019/20 or 2020/21, when exams and assessments were cancelled.
Results over time3 years
Each measure on its own scale, over every year we hold.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 22/23 | 53% |
| 23/24 | 84% |
| 24/25 | 76% |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 22/23 | 104.0 |
| 23/24 | 107.0 |
| 24/25 | 109.0 |
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 22/23 | 103.0 |
| 23/24 | 107.0 |
| 24/25 | 108.0 |
School Street, Birtley, Chester le Street, DH3 2PN
Admissions
How to apply (opens in a new tab)
You apply through your council, not the school - even for academies and free schools. Applications close on 15 January, the year before starting.
Gateshead admissions (opens in a new tab)
The council publishes the oversubscription criteria and last year’s offer distances, which is the closest thing to knowing your chances.
If you are refused a place (opens in a new tab)
You can appeal, and you can join a waiting list at the same time. Accept whatever offer you get first - declining it can leave you with no place at all.
This school’s own admissions (opens in a new tab)
Schools that set their own criteria - faith schools, grammars, academies - publish them on their own site.
Contact
- Headteacher
- Kate Swaddle
- Address
- School Street, Birtley, Chester le Street, DH3 2PN
- Telephone
- 01914102231