Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

About Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in Wirral has been rated Good by Ofsted following its most recent inspection in 2022, a notable improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018. The school now holds Good marks across all five inspected categories: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and early years provision. But the most telling academic metric is the Key Stage 2 combined reading, writing and maths expected standard: 71% of pupils reached this benchmark in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure places Holy Cross 10th out of 64 primary schools in Wirral, putting it in the top 16% of the local authority. It also sits comfortably above the Wirral local authority average of 53% for the same measure, and ranks within the top 30% nationally.

Digging deeper into the 2023/24 KS2 results, the school’s individual subject scores tell a consistent story. In reading, 71% of pupils met the expected standard, with an average scaled score of 103. Maths saw 79% reach the expected standard and an average scaled score of 104, while writing also hit 71% at the expected level. Higher-standard attainment is more modest: 14% achieved the higher standard in both reading and maths, and none did so in writing. The school does not publish Progress 8 scores, so it is not possible to measure how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. Still, the overall picture is of a primary that delivers solid, above-average outcomes for its pupils, particularly given that 78.2% of its 181 pupils are eligible for free school meals — a very high proportion that often correlates with additional challenges.

Holy Cross is a state-funded Roman Catholic primary for mixed-gender pupils aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. It is oversubscribed: for 2025/26 entry, there were 24 applications for 20 places, with 19 of those coming as first preferences. Facilities include a sensory room, art studios, a sports hall, gymnasium, forest school, library and chapel. The school offers netball, cricket, cross country, gymnastics and dance, plus clubs in drama, choir and chess. Its SEND provisions are broad, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social and emotional mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, visual impairment, physical disability, autistic spectrum disorder, and other difficulties. This is a school that serves a high-needs community well, with strong academic results and a clear improvement trajectory under headteacher Paula Brás.

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