Holy Family Catholic Primary School

About Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Holy Family Catholic Primary School sits comfortably above the local authority average for its key stage 2 outcomes, with 77% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with 58% across Westmorland and Furness. That gap of 19 percentage points places the school firmly in the top 10% of primaries in the LA, ranked 10th out of 99. The school also outperforms on higher-level attainment: 10% of pupils achieved the higher standard in all three subjects, and in writing specifically that figure rises to 37%. Reading and maths average scores of 106 and 105 respectively are solid, and the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in maths (83%) and writing (80%) is notably strong. For a relatively small Roman Catholic primary with 226 pupils on roll, these results suggest consistent teaching across the core subjects, even if the school does not publish progress scores to show how much value it adds from pupils' starting points.

Ofsted last inspected the school in a graded visit in 2013, when it was rated Good overall with Good leadership and management, and Good for early years provision. A subsequent ungraded inspection in December 2022 confirmed that the school remains Good. The previous inspection in 2010 had also rated it Good, so the school has held a stable rating across three inspections spanning more than a decade. The school's ranking score of 77, based on the proportion of pupils achieving the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, places it in the top 25% nationally and in the top 15% within the North West region. While there are six Outstanding primaries in the LA, the nearest is Victoria Academy, just 1.1 km away, so families in the area have a strong local alternative if they are specifically seeking an Outstanding rating.

The school is oversubscribed: for 30 places in the 2025/26 intake, it received 63 applications, with 31 first-preference applications and 26 offers made to first-preference families, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.1. Facilities include a library, sensory room, playing fields, forest school, sports hall and chapel, and the school offers a nursery provision for children from age three. Sports on offer include athletics, dance, rounders, gymnastics and football, while clubs cover science, art and coding. The school's SEND provision is listed as supporting specific learning difficulties, including dyslexia. With a low proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals (5%), Holy Family Catholic Primary is likely to suit families who value strong academic outcomes within a faith-based setting, and who are comfortable with a school that is consistently Good rather than Outstanding.

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