Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School, London
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 11 in London. It has a Roman Catholic religious character. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in June 2024. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 32nd-highest of the 959 schools in London with published results, and 227th of 14,452 across England. For 2026 entry it had 1.4 first-choice applications for every place. It was 95% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2024)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wandsworth (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School in detail
Results
In 2025, 100% of Year 6 pupils at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 95% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 83% and 81% in Wandsworth and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (95% in reading, 95% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 42 families put Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School as their first choice and 103 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.4 first choices for every place. 14 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School are Alderbrook Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 85% reading, 81% maths); Trinity St Mary's CofE Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 86% reading, 90% maths); Ravenstone Primary School (0.4 miles, Good, 87% reading, 85% maths); and Honeywell Infant School (0.5 miles, Good).
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School's 2025 results were higher than all 3 of them.
Alderbrook Primary SchoolTrinity St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolRavenstone Primary SchoolHoneywell Infant School
Who goes there
6.1% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 40.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (32%) and Mixed (14%).
In 2026, 12 pupils (6.1%) received SEN support and 2 (1%) 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 social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Wandsworth Common Rail Station, about 450 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Oak Lodge School (->e), 300 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School are Chestnut Grove Academy (0.2 miles), La Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' School (0.6 miles) and Ark Bolingbroke Academy (0.8 miles).
Chestnut Grove AcademyLa Retraite Roman Catholic Girls' SchoolArk Bolingbroke Academy
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); DfE exclusions statistics
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2024 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Holy Ghost provides an excellent, safe learning environment where children thrive academically and develop strong values. Pupils show exceptional behaviour and kindness, with older children supporting younger ones as buddies. The school offers a broad, interesting curriculum with particularly strong teaching in reading, mathematics, and sports, supported by well-trained staff who understand individual pupil needs.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional behaviour and conduct - pupils are courteous, caring, and play harmoniously together
- Outstanding early years provision with strong focus on vocabulary and writing skills
- Exceptionally high outcomes in reading and mathematics including for pupils with SEND
- Ambitious extracurricular programme including sports, clubs, visits, and a careers fair
- Comprehensive teaching on healthy relationships, equalities, and online safety
Areas for Improvement
- Some areas of the curriculum are less well developed, with key concepts not clearly defined in all subjects
- Teachers do not always check pupils' understanding before moving to new learning, leaving gaps and misconceptions unaddressed
- In some subjects outside those tested nationally, outcomes are more variable
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective, with comprehensive teaching on healthy relationships, online risks, and when to seek adult support.
Extracurricular Activities
Sports representation for Year 3 and above, careers fair, school visits, clubs, special events
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School is rated Good overall, with outstanding behaviour and personal development. The school has high expectations and pupils achieve exceptionally well in reading and mathematics.
At a Glance
6.1%
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 95% to 100% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 95% (2024 to 2025). Writing has declined from 95% to 90% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
28.1
Avg class size
29.7
Infant (KS1)
27.0
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School.
- Fruity Club: Holy GhostAt the school · Not yet graded
- Arty Party240m away · Not yet graded
- Ultimate Activity Camps at Broomwood Girls Prep School320m away · Not yet graded
- Play Makers Holiday Workshops at St Lukes510m away · Not yet graded
- Junior Adventures Group @ Broomwood Hall SW12510m away · Not yet graded
- The Strings Club - Balham Holiday Camp570m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School is a voluntary aided school, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Wandsworth's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Train Stations
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School is in Wandsworth; for families living there:
Apply to Wandsworth for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 99
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 16
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 99 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 16 serious and 82 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot.
23 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 Wandsworth is 99 (the median across 113 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 Ghost Catholic Primary School
Will you get a place at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School.
- Wandsworth publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wandsworth 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
95%
Near capacity
193 pupils
204 places
11 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Wandsworth council
Places available
2,624
Applications
2,403
Got 1st preference
78.5%
Got preferred school
95.1%
All primary applications across Wandsworth council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
12
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
7.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
197
Total Pupils
100
Boys
97
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
16.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,195
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,280
Per pupil
£1269k
Total funding
£15k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
2.6%
Overall absence
0.6%
Persistent absence
165
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 Ghost Catholic Primary School
Questions parents ask about Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School
What are SATs results like at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Of the pupils at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 100% reached the expected standard in reading and 95% did so in maths.
What is Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in June 2024. At its previous graded inspection in 2013 it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School is oversubscribed, Wandsworth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School was close to full in 2025, at 95% of its capacity.
How big are the classes at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Classes at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School average 28.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School has around 197 pupils on roll. 6% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
2.6% of sessions were missed at Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School in 2024/25. 0.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Apply through Wandsworth's coordinated admissions process, naming Holy Ghost 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 Ghost Catholic Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Fruity Club: Holy Ghost (registered, not yet graded). There are 5 more within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 99 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 16 serious and 82 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot. 23 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 Wandsworth is 99 (the median across 113 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School?
Holy Ghost Catholic Primary School is at Nightingale Square, Balham, London, SW12 8QJ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)