"All of us who have known and loved the school and its many children and parents over the years, pray that the Mercy vision of caring for those in need will always be evident in that beautiful little haven in Hunslet!" - Sister Mary Lardner, 2003

At St. Joseph’s we are part of a proud tradition of Catholic education in Hunslet, in the Parish of St. Margaret of Clitherow.

The first school here dates back to 1862, when Father George Brown built a school next to the church, which had been built two years previously. Sisters Agnes, Benedict, Magdalene and Agatha were the first staff and started educating the children of the local area. Attendance figures fluctuated in these early years as attendance was optional! 

The school continued to grow until 1870, when the school was separated into an Infant and Junior school. The current KS1 still use these same rooms today as the Infant School! The Sisters of Mercy came to Hunslet in 1879 and took over charge of running the school. Sister Mary Lardner was the last sister to work at St. Joseph's: retiring in 2003. 

The original church, built in 1860, stood where our playground is currently, with a new replacement church opened where the school field is in the 1971. This was then demolished and a new school hall & church was opened in 2012.