The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

About The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy in Bradford, received a Requires Improvement rating in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2024, a grade it has held across both its 2019 and 2024 graded inspections. The school’s most telling academic metric is its Progress 8 score of -0.55, which places it well below the national average and significantly behind the Bradford local authority average of -0.19. This means that, on average, pupils at the school achieve about half a grade less per subject than students with similar starting points across England. The school ranks 23rd out of 34 secondary schools in Bradford on this measure, putting it in the bottom half of the local authority. Within Yorkshire and the Humber, it sits at 250th out of 306 schools, and nationally at 2678th out of 3141 schools, placing it in the bottom 15% of all state secondaries.

Looking closer at the 2023/24 GCSE results, the school’s Attainment 8 score stands at 39.8, which is below the national average of around 46.5. The basics measure—pupils achieving a grade 5 or above in both English and maths—is 36.6%, meaning roughly a third of students hit that benchmark. The English Baccalaureate entry rate is 26.8%, with 18.3% achieving a grade 4 or above and just 7.3% achieving a grade 5 or above. Broken down by subject, Progress 8 is weakest in open subjects (-0.77) and strongest in maths (-0.23), though still negative. The school’s Ofsted report notes that personal development is rated Good, while behaviour and attitudes, leadership and management, and quality of education all require improvement. The previous inspection in 2019 also rated personal development as Good, suggesting this remains a relative strength.

The school is a Roman Catholic secondary for pupils aged 11 to 16, with 700 pupils on roll. Facilities are notably strong for a state school, including a swimming pool, gymnasium, sports hall, theatre, astro turf, tennis courts, and a chapel. There is also a sixth form centre, though the school itself does not have a sixth form. Sports offered include dance, football, swimming, martial arts, rowing, and athletics, while clubs range from film club and science club to gardening and drama. The school provides support for a wide range of special educational needs, including dyslexia, moderate and severe learning difficulties, autistic spectrum disorder, and social, emotional and mental health needs. The school is oversubscribed in the local context, ranking 23rd out of 34 schools in Bradford, and may suit families who prioritise a Catholic faith-based environment and strong facilities over top-tier academic outcomes.

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