Holway Park Community Primary School

Holway Park Community Primary School has shown commendable improvements since its last inspection, achieving a overall effectiveness rating of good. The school fosters a welcoming environment where pupils enjoy their learning and demonstrate positive attitudes towards their education. Teachers are dedicated, with a strong emphasis on reading, writing, and mathematics, enabling pupils to make notable progress year on year. There are effective strategies in place for supporting pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, particularly those within the specialist resource base. However, there are areas of the curriculum, such as science, that require further development to enhance memory retention among pupils.

Strengths

• Strong emphasis on reading, writing, and mathematics.
• Positive pupil engagement and interactions.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• High standards of writing among pupils.
• Teachers create enjoyable and interesting lessons.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistencies in planning and delivery of subjects like science.
• Some pupils struggle with attendance.
• Communication with staff and parents needs improvement.

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 Holway Park Community Primary School attended 93.4% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.0% 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, 1.4% of pupils at Holway Park Community 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 Holway Park Community Primary School had 15.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 9.3% 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, 8.1% of pupils at Holway Park Community Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 16.4% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

The school has a SEN unit with 40 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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Holway Park Community Primary School received £10,403 and spent £10,258 for each of its 335 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £417,000 (£1,245 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 Taunton · Somerset local authority: places and applications

What is Holway Park Community Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holway Park Community Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2025.

When was Holway Park Community Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holway Park Community Primary School was last inspected in March 2025.

How many pupils does Holway Park Community Primary School have?

Holway Park Community Primary School has 335 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holway Park Community Primary School cover?

Holway Park Community Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

What are Holway Park Community Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 39% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holway Park Community Primary School?

Holway Park Community Primary School is at Shakespeare Avenue, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 2JA.