Holy Rood Catholic Primary School

Holy Rood Catholic Primary School has demonstrated significant improvements since its last inspection, moving from a grade of Requires Improvement to Good across all areas. The school is recognized for its warm and inclusive environment, where pupils feel safe, valued, and motivated to learn. The implementation of an ambitious and well-sequenced curriculum has been effective, particularly in fostering strong reading skills and providing pastoral care. Leaders have made notable strides in addressing the needs of pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities, ensuring they access and succeed in the full curriculum. Despite these strengths, there are still areas for ongoing development, particularly in a few foundation subjects where leadership and assessment processes could be better aligned and more effective. Consequently, some pupils are not consistently able to build on their previous learning, particularly when transitioning from early years to key stage 1. Overall, Holy Rood Catholic Primary School is on a positive trajectory, with committed leadership and supportive governance guiding its future improvements.

Strengths

• Pupils thrive in the school's warm and inclusive ethos.
• High expectations for pupil behaviour contribute to a positive learning environment.
• A well-planned phonics programme supports early reading development.
• Subject leaders are effectively trained and knowledgeable.
• Strong pastoral care is provided to support pupils' emotional well-being.

Areas for Improvement

• In a few foundation subjects, curriculum leaders lack clarity on early years learning integration.
• Assessment in some foundation subjects is not consistently effective in measuring pupil understanding.

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 Rood Catholic Primary School attended 96.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.3% 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, 1.8% of pupils at Holy Rood Catholic 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 Rood Catholic Primary School had 23.2 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, 13.6% of pupils at Holy Rood Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.6% 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 2024–25 Holy Rood Catholic Primary School received £6,382 and spent £6,295 for each of its 393 pupils. It ended the year with a deficit of £57,000 (-£145 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). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

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

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Rood Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in July 2022.

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

Holy Rood Catholic Primary School was last inspected in July 2022.

How many pupils does Holy Rood Catholic Primary School have?

Holy Rood Catholic Primary School has 381 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Rood Catholic Primary School cover?

Holy Rood Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Holy Rood Catholic Primary School?

Holy Rood Catholic Primary School is at Groundwell Road, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN1 2LU.