Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

About Holy Cross Catholic Primary School

Holy Cross Catholic Primary School sits below the Thurrock local authority average for Key Stage 2 outcomes, with 57% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined against an LA average of 67%. That puts the school 29th out of 39 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the bottom half locally and the bottom 50% nationally. The gap is notable, though the school’s individual subject results tell a slightly more nuanced story: 77% hit the expected standard in writing and 73% in reading, while maths lagged at 70%. Higher-attaining pupils are a small minority — just 10% scored at the higher level in maths and writing, and 20% in reading. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in July 2024, confirmed it remains Good, a significant improvement from its previous graded inspection in 2016 when it was rated Requires Improvement. Leadership and management, early years provision, and overall effectiveness are all rated Good.

The school’s Progress 8 data is not available, so it’s hard to say how much value the school adds relative to pupils’ starting points, but the raw scores offer a baseline. Average scaled scores were 104 in maths and 105 in reading, both slightly above the national average of 100. The school’s ranking score of 57 places it well behind local peers like Quarry Hill Academy (97) and Chadwell St Mary Primary School (87). For context, only five of Thurrock’s 39 primary schools are rated Outstanding, and the nearest one, Dilkes Academy, is just 0.7 km away. Holy Cross’s own journey from Requires Improvement to Good suggests a school that has stabilised under headteacher Sandra Power, though the academic outcomes still trail the local norm.

Holy Cross is a voluntary-aided Roman Catholic primary for children aged 3 to 11, with nursery provision on site. It is oversubscribed: for 2025/26, it received 62 applications for 27 places, with 22 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.3. The school serves 232 pupils against a capacity of 236, and 17.3% are eligible for free school meals, slightly above the national average. Facilities include a gymnasium, art studios, library, ICT suite, music rooms, playing fields and a chapel. Clubs range from drama and chess to eco club and film club, and sports include netball, athletics, dance and rounders. The school’s SEND provisions cover moderate learning difficulty, speech and language needs, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. This is a faith-based, community-focused primary that suits families who prioritise a Catholic ethos and a stable Good rating, but who may want to weigh the academic results against nearby options.

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