Holy Family Catholic Primary School, New Springs, Wigan

About Holy Family Catholic Primary School, New Springs, Wigan

Holy Family Catholic Primary School in New Springs is a small Roman Catholic primary that punches well above the local average on its headline academic measure. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 90% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a Wigan local authority average of 65% for primary schools. That gap of 25 percentage points places the school fifth out of 98 primary schools in the borough, comfortably inside the top 5% locally. Nationally, it sits in the top 3% of all primary schools on this metric. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, an ungraded visit in March 2025, confirmed that standards are being maintained across the board, with every category — quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision — judged Outstanding. The previous graded inspection in February 2020 also awarded Outstanding overall, so this is a school with a sustained track record.

Beyond the headline figure, the detail of Holy Family’s Key Stage 2 results shows strength across individual subjects. In reading, the average scaled score was 109, with 50% of pupils reaching the higher standard. In maths, the average score was 106 and 30% achieved the higher standard, while 95% met the expected standard in maths alone. Writing was similarly strong, with 90% at the expected standard and 15% at the higher standard. The proportion of pupils reaching the higher standard across all three subjects was 5%, which is in line with national expectations for a school of this size. Parent feedback is overwhelmingly positive: 100% of the 41 respondents to the Parent View survey would recommend the school, and 93% strongly agreed that their child is happy and feels safe. The school’s capacity is 140 pupils, and with 133 on roll it is nearly full, which reflects its popularity.

Holy Family offers a range of facilities including a dining hall, outdoor playground, sensory room, forest school and a chapel. Sports provision covers cross country, athletics, rounders, swimming, netball, cricket and gymnastics, while clubs include science club, drama and gardening. The school has identified SEND provisions for specific learning difficulties, moderate learning difficulty, speech, language and communication needs, visual impairment and other difficulties. Admissions data for 2025/26 shows the school is oversubscribed: 37 applications for 17 places, a ratio of 2.18 applicants per place, with 15 first-preference offers made. This is a school that suits families who value strong academic outcomes within a small, Catholic faith setting, and who are prepared for a competitive admissions process. The nearest other Outstanding-rated primary is St Mary and St John Catholic Primary School, 1.7 km away.

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