Holy Family VA RC Primary School

Holy Family VA RC Primary School is a welcoming and diverse Catholic primary where pupils settle quickly, behave well and take pride in their school. Inspectors found the school good across the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision, following a previous outstanding grade. Staff have high expectations, classrooms are calm and purposeful, and pupils engage actively in learning and take their leadership roles seriously. The curriculum is ambitious and begins in Nursery, early reading is prioritised and phonics support is effective, pupils with SEND are identified and generally supported, attendance is positive, and governors are highly committed. Leaders have taken effective action on areas from the previous inspection and are stabilising staffing turbulence. However, the school’s approach to checking the impact of the curriculum is not robust enough, so gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified or addressed quickly. In a few subjects, including for some pupils with SEND, new learning does not consistently build on what pupils already know, and staffing changes mean some staff do not know pupils as well as they might. Governors also lack a complete picture of pupil achievement because information collection and sharing is not as robust as it could be. Safeguarding is effective.

Strengths

• Warm, welcoming culture helps pupils from many countries settle quickly
• Pupils behave well, are polite and considerate, and have positive attitudes to learning
• Classrooms are calm and purposeful, and pupils take pride in their work
• Staff typically have high expectations and pupils rise to these challenges
• Pupils benefit from leadership roles such as playleader and school councillor
• The curriculum is ambitious and carefully sequenced from Nursery onwards
• Early reading is prioritised, with an effective phonics programme and support for catch-up
• Pupils with SEND are identified and receive the support they need
• Personal development promotes human rights, mental well-being, online safety and life skills
• Attendance is positive because the school works well with parents and carers
• Governors are highly committed, mindful of staff workload and hold leaders to account

Areas for Improvement

• The school’s approach to checking curriculum impact is not robust enough
• Gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified or addressed quickly
• In a few subjects, some pupils, including those with SEND, do not learn as securely because new learning does not build on prior knowledge
• Staffing changes mean some staff do not know pupils as well as they might
• Governors lack a complete picture of pupil achievement because information processes are not robust enough

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 VA RC Primary School attended 95.1% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 10.9% 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, 1.3% of pupils at Holy Family VA RC 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 Holy Family VA RC Primary School had 19.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 11.1% 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, 25.6% of pupils at Holy Family VA RC Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.9% 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 Holy Family VA RC Primary School received £7,258 and spent £7,295 for each of its 238 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £41,000 (£172 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 Salford · Salford local authority: places and applications

What is Holy Family VA RC Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Family VA RC Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.

When was Holy Family VA RC Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Holy Family VA RC Primary School was last inspected in July 2025.

How many pupils does Holy Family VA RC Primary School have?

Holy Family VA RC Primary School has 238 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Family VA RC Primary School cover?

Holy Family VA RC Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 52% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holy Family VA RC Primary School?

Holy Family VA RC Primary School is at No 3 Lower Seedley Road, Salford, Lancashire, M6 5WX.