Holy Family Catholic Primary School

Overview

Holy Family Catholic Primary School is described as an “inclusive and welcoming” environment where pupils “really enjoy learning.” Leaders have successfully addressed previous inspection requirements, resulting in a school where staff are “proud to work” and pupils feel safe and supported.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate high expectations for behaviour, conducting themselves well and contributing to an “orderly and purposeful community.”
• Teachers possess “very good knowledge” of their subjects, using effective questioning and assessment to help pupils build learning securely.
• The teaching of phonics and early reading has been transformed, ensuring consistent, effective instruction where pupils read with “increasing confidence, accuracy and fluency.”
• Staff effectively support pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and those speaking English as an additional language (EAL), helping them access the same curriculum as their peers.
• Leaders have established a “strong culture of safeguarding,” with staff trained to spot risks and tenacious in following up concerns to ensure vulnerable pupils receive help.

Areas to improve

• Leaders should engage more effectively with parents to ensure they understand how school policies are implemented and are informed about their children’s academic and wider experiences.
• In some subjects, such as history, the curriculum does not provide sufficient opportunities for pupils to link topics, preventing them from integrating new knowledge into “larger ideas” and deepening their understanding of key concepts.

Safeguarding

The report states that “the arrangements for safeguarding are effective,” noting that leaders are “tenacious and thorough” in following up concerns to ensure vulnerable pupils and families quickly receive the help they need.