Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a caring, inclusive school where pupils feel safe and relationships with staff are strong. Inspectors found the school performing well across the main areas they judged, with particularly strong early years provision. The school has improved since its previous inspection, when it required improvement, and it operates as a single-academy trust led by co-headteachers. The curriculum is broad and balanced and meets the needs of most pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities. Reading is prioritised from Nursery and Reception, and pupils who struggle receive appropriate support. In most subjects, learning builds over time and teachers check understanding. However, in some curriculum areas, pupils struggle to recall prior learning and teachers do not identify and address gaps quickly enough. Expectations are sometimes not ambitious enough, so some pupils are not challenged to tackle more complex work and do not achieve as well as they could. Personal development is strong: pupils are kind, respectful and involved in the school community, with peer mentors and chaplaincy work supporting the school’s values. Governors know the school well and challenge and support leaders, while safeguarding arrangements are effective. The main priorities are to ensure all staff have the expertise to deliver the intended curriculum ambitiously and to use assessment more effectively so that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are spotted and addressed promptly.

Strengths

• Inclusive school with strong relationships and pupils who feel safe
• Bullying is rare and pupils manage conflict respectfully
• Pupils demonstrate positive attitudes to learning and produce high-quality work
• Early years provision is exceptionally strong, with children learning exceptionally well
• Broad and balanced curriculum meets the needs of most pupils, including those with SEND
• Reading is prioritised from Nursery and Reception, with support for pupils who struggle
• In most subjects, learning sequences build knowledge over time and teachers check understanding
• Personal development is promoted well; pupils are kind, compassionate and respectful
• Pupils take pride in responsibilities, including chaplaincy and peer mentoring
• Governors know the school well, support and challenge leaders, and consider staff wellbeing
• Safeguarding arrangements are effective
• Wide range of opportunities develops pupils’ character and active citizenship

Areas for Improvement

• In some curriculum areas, pupils struggle to recall previous learning
• Teachers do not consistently identify and address gaps in pupils’ knowledge
• Expectations are sometimes not ambitious enough, limiting challenge for some pupils
• Some pupils do not achieve as well as they could because complex learning is not secured
• Assessment is not used effectively enough in some subjects to spot and address gaps promptly
• Staff expertise to implement the curriculum with the intended ambition is inconsistent

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 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 7.1% 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 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 Family Catholic Primary School had 27.1 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 8.4% 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, 11.9% of pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.2% 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 Family Catholic Primary School received £6,446 and spent £6,104 for each of its 316 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £188,000 (£595 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 Family Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Holy Family Catholic Primary School is Good, from an inspection in September 2025.

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

Holy Family Catholic Primary School was last inspected in September 2025.

How many pupils does Holy Family Catholic Primary School have?

Holy Family Catholic Primary School has 312 pupils on roll.

What age range does Holy Family Catholic Primary School cover?

Holy Family Catholic Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 58% 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 Marlowe Avenue, Swindon, Wiltshire, SN3 2PT.