Hollydale Primary School

Hollydale Primary School is a happy, welcoming and safe community where pupils behave exceptionally well and achieve well. Inspectors found reading at the heart of the curriculum, with early phonics taught consistently and a broad, logically sequenced curriculum from the early years. Personal development, wider opportunities and staff well-being are strong, and safeguarding arrangements are effective. Leaders have appropriate systems for identifying SEND and working with external professionals, and pupils with SEND are supported well overall. Governors understand the school's strengths, and staff are positive about workload and well-being. The school remains good in quality of education, personal development, leadership and management, and early years, with behaviour and attitudes outstanding. Two areas need improvement. In a few subjects, teachers do not check pupils' knowledge precisely enough, so some pupils, including some with SEND, struggle to link prior learning and have gaps. Safeguarding records also sometimes lack clear information about actions taken and outcomes, although risks are identified and acted on swiftly.

Strengths

• Pupils behave exceptionally well in classrooms, corridors and social times
• Reading is at the heart of the curriculum, with consistent early phonics teaching
• Pupils develop confidence and fluency through books matched to the sounds they know
• Curriculum is broad, logically sequenced and starts in the early years
• Teachers have secure subject knowledge and explain concepts clearly
• SEND is identified early, and external professionals provide targeted support
• Pupils are highly motivated and have positive attitudes to learning
• Personal, social and health education is a priority, including diversity and family life
• Wider opportunities include clubs, school council, reading buddies and gardening
• Governors understand strengths, and staff are positive about workload and well-being
• Safeguarding is effective, with swift action and a strong culture of safety

Areas for Improvement

• In a few subjects, adults do not check what pupils know and understand precisely enough
• Some pupils, including some with SEND, struggle to link previous learning and have knowledge gaps
• Safeguarding records do not always accurately capture actions taken and outcomes

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Hollydale Primary School attended 93.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.8% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 0.0% of pupils at Hollydale Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Hollydale Primary School had 17.2 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 0.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 19.4% of pupils at Hollydale Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Hollydale Primary School received £9,722 and spent £10,722 for each of its 155 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £78,000 (-£501 per pupil).

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Southwark · Southwark local authority: places and applications

What is Hollydale Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Hollydale Primary School is Good, from an inspection in October 2024.

When was Hollydale Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Hollydale Primary School was last inspected in October 2024.

How many pupils does Hollydale Primary School have?

Hollydale Primary School has 155 pupils on roll.

What age range does Hollydale Primary School cover?

Hollydale Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Hollydale Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Hollydale Primary School?

Hollydale Primary School is at Hollydale Road, Nunhead, London, SE15 2AR.