Holycroft Primary School

About Holycroft Primary School

Holycroft Primary School, a state primary in Bradford for children aged 3 to 11, holds a Good rating from Ofsted following its most recent graded inspection in February 2023. The school has maintained this standard consistently, having also been judged Good in its previous inspection back in 2014. The most telling academic metric for a primary school is the proportion of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2. Here, Holycroft achieved 58% in the 2023/24 academic year. That figure is just one percentage point below the Bradford local authority average of 59%, placing the school 91st out of 153 primary schools in the area. While this puts it in the bottom half of the local league table, it is a solid, middle-of-the-road performance that reflects a school doing a decent job for its pupils without standing out academically.

Digging deeper into the Key Stage 2 results, Holycroft’s strongest individual subject was maths, where 74% of pupils met the expected standard and the average scaled score was 104. Reading followed closely with 68% at the expected level and the same average score of 104. Writing saw 70% reach the expected standard, though only 4% achieved the higher standard in both writing and the combined reading, writing and maths measure. The school’s Ofsted breakdown from 2023 awarded Good across every category: quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. Inspectors noted no particular weaknesses, and the school has a clear record of stability. Nationally, Holycroft sits in the 62nd percentile for its combined expected standard score, meaning it outperforms a little over a third of primary schools across England, though it is categorised in the bottom 50 tier for its ranking metric.

Holycroft is a popular choice locally. For the 2025/26 intake, the school received 47 total applications for its 32 places, with all 32 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.47. The school operates a nursery provision and offers a broad range of facilities including a gymnasium, library, music rooms, a sensory room, an ICT suite and playing fields. Sports on offer include football, cricket, swimming and dance, while clubs range from book club and drama to eco club and coding. The school’s SEND provisions are well-documented, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulty, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech and language communication needs, and autistic spectrum disorder. With 36.3% of pupils eligible for free school meals, Holycroft serves a diverse community and will suit families looking for a stable, well-rated local primary with strong pastoral and SEND support, even if its headline academic results are unremarkable.

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