St. Joseph's is an open and welcoming, Roman Catholic Primary School. There are approximately 96 pupils on roll with an additional 13 pupils in our Foundation Stage 1 (Nursery) class.

We strive to do the best we can for the children in our care to ensure that they receive the best possible education during their time at the school.

Father Bryan founded the school on the 31st December 1901 in premises behind St Joseph’s church. The present building was opened in 1968 to accommodate children from the parishes of, St. Joseph's Pickering and St. Chad's Kirkbymoorside.

The school premises consist of four classrooms, one of which is a new purpose built Foundation Stage unit with its own outdoor activity area.  A central hall is utilised for many purposes: including assemblies, physical education, drama, music and serving meals.

School meals are cooked daily on the premises in the modern kitchen adjoining the hall.  Children in Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 have a free daily piece of fruit or vegetable. This scheme has been extended by the school to children in Key Stage 2 (parents of KS2 pupils are asked to make a voluntary contribution of 50p per week). Drinks can be brought from home or pure fruit juice purchased from our school kitchen to drink at morning break.

The school is surrounded by a very large grassed field, playground and fenced terrace.  The grounds are spacious and include newly planted trees and shrubs, a butterfly garden, wildlife area and adventure trail.

At St. Joseph's we aim to provide quality learning experiences for your child coupled with a safe and secure environment. We expect high standards and quality work from all our children. We aim to develop in each child an understanding that they must take responsibility for their learning and we will teach them the skills with which to achieve this.

We also believe in strong home - school links and encourage parents to take an active part in their child's education. In the Foundation Stage unit, parents are invited to help settle their children and share experiences with their children for the first 10 minutes each morning. Parents of children in all our classes are also welcome to attend our Friday Celebration Assembly (times vary, please see weekly newsletter for precise times).

We use a variety of appropriate methods and equipment in our teaching which are up to date and relevant to the implementation of the whole curriculum. St. Joseph’s is an inclusive school and children have access to the whole curriculum giving due consideration to those children with a Special Educational Need. We have been assessed by North Yorkshire as offering ‘Excellent Provision’ for children with Special Educational Needs and our Basic Skills 3 Quality Mark has been renewed.

At St Joseph's we view the child as a whole and we aim to develop their Creative, Physical, Social, Emotional and Academic skills.

We have a number of Teaching Assistants and Higher Level Teaching Assistants who work closely with the teaching staff ensuring that all children are fully supported in their development. Children in Foundation Stage 1 (Nursery) and Foundation Stage 2 (Reception) follow the Foundation Stage Curriculum. This ensures that the planning for these children specifically meets their individual needs. A child's first experiences of school is vitally important and the grounding must be set to encourage the child to become an independent and enquiring learner.