Holy Cross Catholic Primary School, Plymouth
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Plymouth, part of Plymouth Cast. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in November 2022. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 25th-highest of the 73 schools in Plymouth with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was 91% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2022)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Plymouth (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in detail
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club and after-school care.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 80% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 74% in Plymouth and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 65% in reading and 63% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 23 families put Holy Cross Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 49 named it as one of their preferences, for 24 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Holy Cross Catholic Primary School are Mount Street Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 69% reading, 76% maths); Salisbury Road Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 88% reading, 81% maths); Pilgrim Primary Academy (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 80% reading, 77% maths); and Prince Rock Primary School (0.7 miles, Outstanding, 83% reading, 90% maths).
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 2 of these 4 schools.
Mount Street Primary SchoolSalisbury Road Primary SchoolPilgrim Primary AcademyPrince Rock Primary School
The trust
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is one of 34 schools run by Plymouth Cast, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 51% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
15.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 57.2% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (29%), Black (20%) and Asian (18%).
In 2026, 72 pupils (26.1%) received SEN support and 5 (1.8%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Plymouth Rail Station, about 1050 metres away (roughly a 13-minute walk).
22 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is St Theresas Court (w-bound), 60 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Holy Cross Catholic Primary School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 1136 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Plymouth (196), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Holy Cross Catholic Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Holy Cross Catholic Primary School are Plymouth High School for Girls (0.5 miles), Lipson Co-operative Academy (0.9 miles) and Millbay Academy (1 mile).
Plymouth High School for GirlsLipson Co-operative AcademyMillbay Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its November 2022 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
15.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has improved from 65% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 63% to 80% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 69% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.0
Avg class size
29.0
Infant (KS1)
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Holy Cross Catholic Primary School.
- Player Ready Plymouth560m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holy Cross Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is in Plymouth; for families living there:
Apply to Plymouth for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 108
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 25
- Children hurt
- 6
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 108 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 25 serious and 83 slight.
6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
14 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holy Cross Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holy Cross Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holy Cross Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Plymouth, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School for 2015 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Plymouth got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
91%
Near capacity
287 pupils
315 places
28 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Plymouth
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Plymouth
Across Plymouth council
Places available
3,035
Applications
2,294
Got 1st preference
93.5%
Got preferred school
98.4%
All primary applications across Plymouth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
72
SEN Support
5
EHC Plans
27.9%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
276
Total Pupils
139
Boys
137
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
17
Teachers
16.2:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£45,545
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,425
Per pupil
£1721k
Total funding
£68k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.2%
Overall absence
8.1%
Persistent absence
285
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 80% reached the expected standard in reading and 80% did so in maths.
What is Holy Cross Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in November 2022. At its previous graded inspection in 2008 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Plymouth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 91% of its 315 places.
How big are the classes at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School average 28 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School has around 276 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
4.2% of sessions were missed at Holy Cross Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 8.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Plymouth's coordinated admissions process, naming Holy Cross Catholic Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does Holy Cross Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Holy Cross Catholic Primary School: Player Ready Plymouth (560m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 108 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 25 serious and 83 slight. 6 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 3 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 14 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Plymouth is 22 (the median across 107 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is at 2 Beaumont Road, St Jude's, Plymouth, Devon, PL4 9BE.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)