The Holy Family Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 2 April 2025

Pupils mix well at the school irrespective of their backgrounds. They appreciate the respect and support they receive from staff. Pupils are safe at school. Most pupils are happy at school. The school has high expectations of what pupils can achieve. These expectations are not reflected in published outcomes. Pupils' achievement at the end of key stage 4 and key stage 5 is significantly below national averages in most subjects. Pupils receive a varied quality of education at the school. Pupils' conduct in most lessons is positive. Most classrooms are calm and purposeful learning environments. However, during lesson changeover a small number of pupils display boisterous behaviour. This sometimes includes the use of inappropriate language. As a result, some pupils feel uncomfortable at these times. Pupils are well supported with their mental health. They learn how to stay mentally healthy in their personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) lessons. Pupils value the support of the pastoral team. Pupils have access to a range of extra-curricular clubs, such as retro games, crafts and science research. This offers them the opportunity to develop their talents and interests in these areas.

What the school should improve

• In some areas of the curriculum, the school has not identified the important knowledge that pupils should learn. As a result, some pupils do not learn the key knowledge needed to achieve well in these subjects. The school should ensure that in all subjects, important knowledge is identified and sequenced coherently.
• In some lessons, the school does not check pupils' understanding and identify gaps in knowledge sufficiently well. As a result, some pupils have gaps in their knowledge which remain unaddressed. The school should ensure that teachers use effective strategies to check what pupils know and adapt their teaching to address any knowledge gaps as they arise.
• Rates of pupil absence, particularly for pupils who are disadvantaged, are high. As a result, some pupils miss out on important learning. This impacts on how well they achieve. The school should ensure that the attendance policy is consistently applied to ensure that pupils' attendance, particularly for those who are disadvantaged, improves.
• The school does not always effectively develop character traits such as respect, responsibility and self-regulation. As a result, some pupils display boisterous behaviour and use poor language during lesson changeover. The school should make sure that pupils know how to behave with respect and to self-regulate when they are unsupervised.
• The school does not use all the information available to monitor the impact of new strategies on the quality of education it provides. As a result, the impact of staff training and adaptations to the curriculum are not always fully understood. The school should ensure that leaders have a full understanding of the impact of any new strategies that are implemented and make any necessary improvements.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)