WELCOME TO OUR SCHOOL!!!

St Joseph's School was founded in 1904 by the Sisters of the Convent of the Holy Family. The school was granted voluntary-aided status in 1970 under the auspices of the Diocese of Plymouth.

Foundation Governors appointed by the Bishop oversee the school. We are funded by the DfES and Devon County Council. The governors are responsible for a portion of the cost of maintaining the school building. Funds for this come from our parish and parents' donations. At the moment 65% of our children are baptised Catholics and the remainder from other Christian denominations.

At St Joseph’s, a Catholic school, our aim is the formation of a happy, Christian, worshipping community. The aim of the school is to provide an environment in which children can:

• Develop lively, enquiring minds
• Understand the world in which we live and our role as stewards of it
• Use language effectively and imaginatively in speaking, reading and writing
• Master basic mathematical skills and concepts
• Learn about human achievement and aspiration in the arts and sciences and in the search for a more just social order
• Acquire knowledge and skill
• Learn to value other races, religions and cultures
• Be encouraged to develop individual skills and talents to the full
• Be guided in the area of personal, social and moral development
• Achieve the highest possible standards in all areas of the National Curriculum

The 1988 Education Reform Act specifies certain common curriculum elements which are to be provided for pupils of compulsory school age in maintained schools. This is known as the National Curriculum.

These elements are as follows:

Core subjects: Mathematics, English and Science

Other subjects: History, Geography, Technology, Information Technology (IT), Music, Art, Physical Education (plus Religious Education)

French has been introduced in Year 3 from September 2006.

At Key Stage 1 (5 to7-year-olds) most of these areas of the curriculum are linked to a series of topics based on a three-year cycle.

At Key Stage 2 (7 to 11-year-olds) subject-based teaching is the norm, but cross-curricular links are explored when appropriate.

The school organises a variety of traditional team sports, mainly as after-school activities such as football and netball, with school teams playing inter-school matches. Swimming is also taught as part of the PE curriculum and the school takes part in the local swimming Gala. Athletics is available as an after-school activity in the summer term, with children working towards the AAA’s badge scheme.