Holy Family Catholic High School

Holy Family Catholic High School is maintaining the standards set during its previous inspection, showing effective action overall. The school creates a nurturing and positive environment where students feel secure, respected, and encouraged to achieve their best. With an ambitious curriculum and strong support for pupils and those with special educational needs, students typically perform well and are prepared for further education or employment. The school values pupil involvement in a wide range of extracurricular activities, and governors provide effective oversight to support its inclusive vision.

Strengths

• Supportive and caring school community
• High expectations of pupil achievement
• Strong emphasis on developing oracy skills
• Vast array of extracurricular activities
• Well-structured curriculum that builds knowledge logically
• Effective support for pupils with SEND
• Pupils exhibit excellent behaviour and respect
• Strong focus on emotional health and well-being
• Positive relationships between staff and pupils
• High-quality careers guidance and work experience opportunities

Areas for Improvement

• In a small number of subjects, staff do not check pupil understanding thoroughly before introducing new learning
• Attendance rates for some pupils with learning barriers are too high

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 Holy Family Catholic High School attended 90.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 23.0% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

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, 7.5% of pupils at Holy Family Catholic High School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 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 Holy Family Catholic High School had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.5% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

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, 10.1% of pupils at Holy Family Catholic High School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 6.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has a SEN unit with 25 pupils.

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 secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Holy Family Catholic High School received £8,739 and spent £8,531 for each of its 1,018 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £12,000 (-£11 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 Liverpool · Sefton local authority: places and applications

What is Holy Family Catholic High School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Family Catholic High School is Good, from an inspection in November 2024.

When was Holy Family Catholic High School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holy Family Catholic High School was last inspected in November 2024.

How many pupils does Holy Family Catholic High School have?

Holy Family Catholic High School has 1,012 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Family Catholic High School cover?

Holy Family Catholic High School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are Holy Family Catholic High School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.2, and 40% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Holy Family Catholic High School?

Holy Family Catholic High School is at Virgins Lane, Thornton, Liverpool, Merseyside, L23 4UL.