St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Kings Norton Review 2026: High-attaining Catholic primary with clear routines and strong pupil leadership

This is a small, oversubscribed Catholic primary serving Kings Norton and the surrounding Birmingham neighbourhoods, with academic outcomes that sit well above typical England benchmarks. At key stage 2, performance is a clear strength: 86.67% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024, compared with an England average of 62%. At the higher standard, 43.67% achieved greater depth, compared with an England average of 8%.

The school’s Catholic identity is active and organised rather than tokenistic, with pupil leadership roles running alongside everyday routines, including eco work shaped by Pope Francis’ Laudato Si message.

Leadership stability matters in primaries, and the current principal, Mr Paul Greavy, has been in post since September 2017.

A calm, structured day is the defining feature. Classrooms are described as purposeful, and expectations for behaviour are consistently high. Pupils are expected to take responsibility, not just comply, which shows up in the way leadership roles are built into school life rather than added as occasional enrichment.

Catholic life is woven through the week. External evaluation highlights mission-focused routines and visible faith practice, including prayer areas and a pattern of worship that involves pupils, not just staff. For families who value a school where faith is present in daily language and habits, the experience is likely to feel coherent. For families who prefer a lighter-touch approach, it is worth reading the school’s published materials carefully before applying.

The site has its own local story. The school was rebuilt on Selly Oak Road and blessed on 02 February 1995, a detail that often signals a modernised layout compared with many older, tight-footprint Birmingham primaries.

Academic outcomes are the headline. In 2024, 86.67% met the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics combined, with 87% meeting the expected standard in science. England averages for the same measures are 62% and 82% respectively.

High attainment is not confined to “expected” thresholds. At the higher standard, 43.67% achieved greater depth in reading, writing and maths, well above the England average of 8%. Scaled scores are also strong, with 110 in reading, 108 in maths and 113 in grammar, punctuation and spelling.

In FindMySchool’s proprietary ranking based on official data, the school is ranked 397th in England and 6th in Birmingham for primary outcomes. That places it well above the England average, and firmly in the top tier locally.

Parents comparing local schools can use the FindMySchool Local Hub and Comparison Tool to view these outcomes side by side, particularly useful in Birmingham where travel patterns and faith admissions criteria can make “nearest school” a poor proxy for realistic options.

High results usually come from repeatable classroom habits, not one-off initiatives. Here, curriculum sequencing and retrieval are explicitly noted as strengths, with pupils building knowledge over time rather than completing isolated units.

A helpful sign is that the school is not complacent about consistency. One of the improvement points raised in external evaluation is around checking learning closely enough to identify shared misconceptions and common spelling errors. For parents, this is often the difference between good teaching and consistently precise teaching, especially for pupils who are already working at speed and need feedback that goes beyond “correct or incorrect”.

Religious education is treated as a serious subject rather than a filler, with diocesan-aligned planning and a stated expectation that pupils become increasingly confident using subject language. The strongest version of this tends to benefit pupils who like discussion and structured reflection, while families with a more secular preference should consider whether the ethos aligns with their home expectations.

As a primary school, the key transition is into local Birmingham secondary provision. For many families, this means balancing practical travel routes with admissions realities, including faith criteria at some Catholic secondary schools and competitive demand at popular comprehensives.

A practical approach is to shortlist secondaries early in Year 5, then use the FindMySchool Saved Schools feature to track admissions criteria, travel time, and any supplementary forms that may be required. Birmingham’s coordinated system can be straightforward, but the detail sits in each school’s oversubscription rules.

Reception entry is coordinated through the local authority’s normal admissions round, but this is also a faith school with its own supplementary paperwork. For September 2026 entry, applications close on 15 January 2026, and families also need to return the school’s Supplementary Information Form (SIF) by the same date. Offers are issued on 16 April 2026 (or the next working day).

The Published Admission Number is 30 for Reception in the 2026 to 2027 academic year. Where the school is oversubscribed, priority is given first to looked after and previously looked after children, then to baptised Catholic children (particularly those in the parish of Ss Joseph and Helen, Kings Norton), followed by other categories including siblings and children of staff, and then non-Catholic applicants. Distance is used as a tie-breaker within categories, measured in a straight line between the home address and the main front gate on Selly Oak Road.

Demand is clearly strong. Recent entry-route figures show 97 applications for 26 offers, around 3.73 applications per place, with the school recorded as oversubscribed. (Not every applicant is applying for Reception at the same time the PAN is stated, but it is a useful indicator of competition.)

Open events listed for the 2026 intake were scheduled in autumn, with individual appointments also offered. In practice, families should expect open events to run in October and early November in many years, and check the school’s current calendar for the live schedule.

A positive sign for parents is the clarity around safety and relationships. Bullying is addressed directly in external evaluation, with pupils described as trusting staff to handle issues quickly.

Support is not limited to behaviour management. The school’s pupil premium planning references Zacchaeus Club as a 1:1 counselling offer for pupils who would benefit from additional emotional support. This kind of structured, named intervention often matters most in small schools where staff know families well but still need a consistent referral route and professional boundaries.

For Catholic families, pastoral care is also tied to service and dignity language, including charitable outreach and pupil roles that connect faith learning to practical action.

The school’s enrichment has a distinctive “service plus performance” character.

On the service side, St Joseph’s Eco Warriors are presented as a pupil-led team, explicitly linked to Laudato Si and practical initiatives such as tree planting and litter-picking. That combination tends to suit pupils who like purposeful projects and visible outcomes.

On the faith and leadership side, the Catholic Schools Inspectorate report references a mission team, mini vinnies, caritas ambassadors and an eco council, a useful marker that leadership is distributed across multiple roles rather than concentrated in a single council group.

On the performance side, the school highlights Ensemble and Choir activity linked to a Symphony Hall performance, which is more specific than the usual “choir club” label and suggests real rehearsal and event planning.

Wraparound provision is clearly described for breakfast club, including practical drop-off arrangements. After-school childcare is offered through an external provider labelled Sportszone, and families should confirm current hours, costs and booking arrangements directly, as these can change by term.

The school day runs from 8.55am to 3.30pm, with pupils able to enter classrooms from 8.45am.

Breakfast club runs from 7.35am and costs £5.00 per session per child. Drop-off access via the car park is described as available up to 8.05am for breakfast club users, with a request to park considerately and then use off-site parking after that time.

Uniform expectations are specific, including guidance on PE kit and swimming requirements for key stage 2.

For transport planning, Kings Norton and Selly Oak stations are the most commonly referenced local rail points for this part of south Birmingham, and families should map their likely route and timing at drop-off and collection.

• A genuinely competitive Reception round. The school is oversubscribed, with recent figures indicating around 3.73 applications per place at the entry route. Families should plan on realistic alternatives alongside this preference.

• Catholic admissions evidence matters. A Supplementary Information Form is required for Reception 2026 entry, and faith categorisation depends on producing the relevant evidence by the deadline.

• High-attaining pupils still need stretch. External evaluation identifies that checking learning closely enough to pick up misconceptions is not always consistent, a detail that can matter most for pupils already operating at the top end.

St Joseph’s is best understood as a small, high-performing Catholic primary with clear routines, strong pupil leadership, and an ethos that is active in daily practice. The academic profile is well above typical England measures, and the wider experience includes purposeful roles like Eco Warriors and structured music opportunities.

It suits families who want a faith-shaped school culture, value calm classrooms and strong attainment, and are prepared for a competitive admissions process with supplementary paperwork. The limiting factor is admission rather than the educational offer.