Holy Family Catholic Primary School, Patchway, Bristol
Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Patchway, Bristol. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in September 2022 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 30th-highest of the 84 schools in South Gloucestershire with published results, and 5,775th of 14,452 across England. It was 99% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to South Gloucestershire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Holy Family Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 72% of Year 6 pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 88% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 76% and 76% in South Gloucestershire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results fell from 93% in reading and 90% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Holy Family Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 22 families put Holy Family Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 59 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 Family Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Holy Family Catholic Primary School are Stoke Lodge Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 68% reading, 81% maths); St Chad's Patchway CofE Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 72% reading, 68% maths); Charlton Wood Primary Academy (0.5 miles, Good, 79% reading, 72% maths); and Wheatfield Primary School (0.7 miles, 88% reading, 90% maths).
Holy Family Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than 3 of these 4 schools.
Stoke Lodge Primary SchoolSt Chad's Patchway CofE Primary SchoolCharlton Wood Primary AcademyWheatfield Primary School
Who goes there
15.7% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 55.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (31%), Asian (13%) and Black (13%).
In 2026, 22 pupils (10.2%) received SEN support and 15 (6.9%) 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 Patchway Rail Station, about 770 metres away (roughly a 10-minute walk).
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Underpass (s-bound), 180 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 285 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 South Gloucestershire (116), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Holy Family Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Holy Family Catholic Primary School are Patchway Community School (0.5 miles), Bradley Stoke Community School (0.9 miles) and Abbeywood Community School (1.5 miles).
Patchway Community SchoolBradley Stoke Community SchoolAbbeywood Community School
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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 agoThis judgement is from May 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's September 2022 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Holy Family creates a warm, welcoming community where pupils from all backgrounds feel valued and safe. The school teaches pupils to read confidently from the start and helps those with additional needs succeed. Pupils develop strong values around equality, respect and making a positive difference in the world.
Key Strengths
- Well-sequenced curriculum that helps pupils build knowledge over time, with strong links between different topics and year groups
- Effective phonics teaching in early years and key stage 1, with quick identification and support for struggling readers
- Strong support for pupils with special educational needs, with accurate identification and regular plan reviews
- Excellent behavior standards with low-level disruption not tolerated
- Inclusive school community that celebrates pupils' different experiences and backgrounds
Areas for Improvement
- Reading curriculum in key stage 2 is not as strong as in earlier years - teachers do not adapt teaching swiftly enough based on assessment information, which slows some pupils' progress in reading
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective with leaders being tenacious about keeping children safe, regular staff training, swift reporting of concerns, and close work with outside agencies.
Extracurricular Activities
Walk against hunger, chaplaincy team
Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a good Catholic primary school rooted in faith values where pupils and adults treat each other with fairness and respect. Leaders are ambitious for all pupils, including those with special educational needs and those who speak English as an additional language.
At a Glance
15.7%
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 declined from 93% to 72% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 88% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 83% to 72% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.0
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
31.5
KS2
3
Total classes
2 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Holy Family Catholic Primary School.
- Shine at Stoke Lodge560m away · Not yet graded
- Charlton Wood Out Of School Club820m away · Not yet graded
- First Class Learning Bradley Stoke840m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holy Family Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holy Family Catholic Primary School is in South Gloucestershire; for families living there:
Apply to South Gloucestershire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 11
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt.
7 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 South Gloucestershire is 8 (the median across 127 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 Family Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Holy Family Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holy Family Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holy Family Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holy Family Catholic Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from South Gloucestershire, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Holy Family Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in South Gloucestershire 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
99%
Near capacity
209 pupils
210 places
1 spare place in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Patchway, Bristol
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Patchway, Bristol
Across South Gloucestershire council
Places available
3,640
Applications
3,033
Got 1st preference
92.8%
Got preferred school
98.3%
All primary applications across South Gloucestershire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(5)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
22
SEN Support
15
EHC Plans
17.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
216
Total Pupils
107
Boys
109
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
13
Teachers
16.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£41,124
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,518
Per pupil
£1225k
Total funding
£42k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.6%
Overall absence
11.5%
Persistent absence
192
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 Family Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Holy Family Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Holy Family Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 72% reached the expected standard in reading and 88% did so in maths.
What is Holy Family Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Holy Family Catholic Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in September 2022, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Holy Family Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, South Gloucestershire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
Holy Family Catholic Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Holy Family Catholic Primary School average 31 pupils (2025/26). 2 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
Holy Family Catholic Primary School has around 216 pupils on roll. 16% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
5.6% of sessions were missed at Holy Family Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 11.5% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
Apply through South Gloucestershire's coordinated admissions process, naming Holy Family 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 Family Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of Holy Family Catholic Primary School: Shine at Stoke Lodge (560m away, registered, not yet graded), Charlton Wood Out Of School Club (820m away, registered, not yet graded) and First Class Learning Bradley Stoke (840m 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 Family Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 11 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 9 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt. 7 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 South Gloucestershire is 8 (the median across 127 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
Holy Family Catholic Primary School is at Amberley Road, Patchway, Patchway, Bristol, BS34 6BY.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)