Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a happy, welcoming and nurturing school where pupils feel safe and behave well. Leaders have designed an ambitious, knowledge-rich curriculum, and teaching is consistently effective from the early years through key stage 2. The early years provision is a particular strength, with a language-rich environment helping children, many of whom start with little English, to make strong progress. Inclusion is highly effective, with well-trained staff and precise assessment supporting pupils with SEND, disadvantaged pupils and those learning English as an additional language. Personal development, pastoral care and community links are also strong. Safeguarding standards are met. The school serves a disadvantaged community: the proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals and those with SEN support is well above average, and many pupils join at an early stage of learning English. Leadership is relatively new but well regarded, with effective governance and strong staff support. Achievement and attendance are judged at the expected standard rather than strong. Over the past three years, pupils have typically achieved close to or slightly below national expectations in statutory assessments, with writing and mathematics below national in some years and phonics historically below average, though improvements are evident. Persistent absence remains above the national average, although leaders are tackling it successfully and rates are improving. The inspection identifies two main next steps: leaders should ensure gaps in pupils' knowledge are addressed swiftly so that outcomes in national tests are consistently in line with or above national averages for all groups, and they should continue refining absence procedures to sustain recent attendance improvements. Overall, the school is on a positive trajectory, with many strengths and a clear focus on continuous improvement.

Strengths

• Ambitious and knowledge-rich curriculum across early years to key stage 2.
• Consistently effective teaching supported by high-quality staff training.
• Strong early years provision with a language-rich, play-based environment.
• Highly effective inclusion and support for pupils with SEND and EAL.
• Rigorous oversight and thoughtful use of pupil premium funding.
• Strong leadership, governance and attention to staff wellbeing.
• Positive behaviour and a calm, orderly school environment.
• Rich personal development, pastoral support and extra-curricular opportunities.
• Pupils feel safe, happy and respected, with safeguarding standards met.
• Good progress for disadvantaged pupils and those with low starting points.
• Strong community links and high levels of parental confidence.

Areas for Improvement

• Statutory assessment outcomes have been close to or slightly below national averages over three years.
• Writing and mathematics outcomes have trailed national averages in some recent years.
• Gaps in pupils' knowledge are not always addressed swiftly enough to ensure consistently strong outcomes for all groups.
• Persistent absence remains above the national average, although improving.
• Phonics screening outcomes were historically below national averages, though now improving.

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 Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 17.8% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Primary School had 19.3 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 37.3% 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, 23.9% of pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.3% 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 Holy Family Catholic Primary School received £8,360 and spent £7,453 for each of its 200 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £4,000 (-£20 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 · Liverpool local authority: places and applications

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Family Catholic Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in September 2026.

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

Holy Family Catholic Primary School was last inspected in September 2026.

How many pupils does Holy Family Catholic Primary School have?

Holy Family Catholic Primary School has 209 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Family Catholic Primary School cover?

Holy Family Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Holy Family Catholic Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 62% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holy Family Catholic Primary School?

Holy Family Catholic Primary School is at Upper Essex Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L8 6QB.