Holy Family Catholic Primary School

About Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Holy Family Catholic Primary School in Leeds sits comfortably above the local authority average for its key stage 2 results, with 70% of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with the Leeds average of 61%. That nine-point gap is a solid indicator of consistent classroom performance, and the school’s ranking of 68th out of 221 primary schools in the city places it in the top third locally. Its national percentile of roughly 32% is respectable for a state primary, though it’s worth noting that the school is oversubscribed by a factor of 3.2, with 96 applications for 30 places in the 2025/26 admissions round. That level of demand suggests local families see real value here. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection in 2022 rated it Good overall, with leadership and management also judged Good — a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2010.

Looking more closely at the academic picture, the school’s strengths are particularly visible in reading and maths. In the 2023/24 key stage 2 assessments, 91% of pupils achieved the expected standard in reading and the same proportion in maths, with average scaled scores of 105 in both subjects. That’s a strong showing, though the proportion reaching the higher standard in reading and maths was 21% each, and just 9% hit the higher threshold across all three subjects. Writing is a relative weak spot: only 70% met the expected standard, and just 12% reached the higher level. The school’s ranking score of 70, based on the combined expected standard metric, puts it in the top 50% nationally and in the Yorkshire and Humber region. For context, the highest-performing local peers — Harewood, Shadwell and St Philip’s — all score 90 or above, so there is room to close the gap, but Holy Family is comfortably above the median.

The school serves a diverse community, with 42.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, well above the national average, and it has a nursery provision for children from age three. Facilities include a library, gymnasium, art studios, a forest school and a chapel, reflecting its Roman Catholic character. The headteacher is Peter McQuillen Strong. The school offers a broad range of clubs — book club, coding, drama, film club, art club and gardening — and sports including cricket, athletics, football and dance. Its SEND provisions cover moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, visual impairment and other difficulties. For families prioritising a faith-based primary with strong core results and a supportive environment for pupils with additional needs, Holy Family is a realistic and popular choice, though the oversubscription means an application in the first round is essential.

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