Holy Family VA RC Primary School

Inspection of Holy Family VA RC Primary School No 3 Lower Seedley Road, Salford, Lancashire M6 5WX

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The quality of education Good Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years provision Good Previous inspection grade Outstanding 17 and 18 June 2025

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils are welcomed warmly as they arrive at school each morning by staff who know them well. They feel proud to be part of Holy Family and know that they are well cared for. Pupils arrive at the school from many countries around the world. They are supported to settle quickly by staff which helps pupils to feel at home and ready to learn.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils behave well in lessons and around the school. They are polite, considerate and kind towards one another. They show positive attitudes to learning and respond well to adults' clear expectations. Classrooms are calm and purposeful. Pupils take pride in their work.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Typically, staff have high expectations for pupils’ achievement. Pupils rise to these challenges and enjoy talking about what they know and can do. They engage actively in lessons and show curiosity when they learn something new. By the end of Year 6, pupils are prepared for the next stage of their education.

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What is it like to attend this school?

Pupils benefit from a range of leadership roles that help them grow in confidence and responsibility. They take positions such as playleader and school councillor seriously. Through these roles, pupils make meaningful contributions to school life and help to make their school and local community a better place.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

During this academic year, the school has experienced turbulence in staffing. The school has taken action to ensure that this is stabilising. In addition, it has taken effective action to address the areas identified for improvement during the last inspection.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school has an ambitious curriculum. Careful thought has been given to what is taught and when. This begins in the Nursery class, where adults support the development of children’s early language skills. Staff play alongside children and help them to talk about their learning. Across the school, activities are typically well matched to pupils’ needs. Staff use their secure subject knowledge to teach with confidence. They check how well pupils are learning. At times, this information is not always used to ensure that new learning builds securely on what pupils already know and understand. Staffing changes have further affected this, as some staff, on occasion, do not know pupils as well as they might. As a result, some pupils do not progress as well as they should when new learning is not linked clearly to what they already know and understand.

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What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

Early reading is prioritised, and pupils are encouraged to read often. In the Reception class, children relish story time. The school’s phonics programme begins in Reception. Staff utilise what they learn in their training to help children to begin to learn to read. As pupils move into Year 1, they build their confidence and learn more of the sounds and letters that they need to know. Trained staff regularly check on pupils’ learning and support pupils who need extra help to catch up. Older pupils develop their reading skills and read with fluency and expression. 17 and 18 June 2025

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The school identifies those pupils who need additional help. Pupils who have special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) receive the support that they need. However, on occasion, some pupils with SEND do not learn as well as they could because staff do not ensure that new learning builds securely on what pupils already know and can do.

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The personal, social, and health education curriculum helps pupils develop an understanding of human rights and mental well-being. Pupils apply what they have learned about online safety when using their devices. They have strong morals and speak confidently about treating others fairly and with respect. Pupils feel confident to raise concerns or worries. They are encouraged to complete ’50 things’ before they leave, broadening their experiences through activities such as drama and cooking. Pupils develop as young citizens through their class charity work. The school equips pupils with essential life skills, including staying safe outside school and managing finances.

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Pupils enjoy the many play opportunities that they have at breaktime. Pupils of all ages play happily together. Around school, pupils move calmly and follow the school rules. They greet visitors and hold doors open politely.

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The school prioritises helping pupils to attend regularly. A range of strategies are used to work with parents and carers to help pupils to attend school often. As a result, attendance rates are positive.

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Governors are highly committed to the school. They are mindful of staff workload and well-being, helping staff to feel valued. Governors support and challenge leaders and hold them to account for the school’s performance. Using information shared with them and their own activities, governors assure themselves of the quality of education. However, they lack a complete picture of pupil achievement because the processes for collecting and sharing information are not as robust as they could be.

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Safeguarding

The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.

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(Information for the school and appropriate authority)

 The school’s approach to checking the impact of the curriculum is not robust enough. This means that gaps in pupils’ knowledge are not always identified or addressed quickly. As a result, some pupils do not progress as well as they could. The school, including governors, should strengthen how it evaluates the impact of the curriculum on pupils’ learning, so that it has a secure understanding of how successfully pupils are learning across all subjects.  In a few subjects, some pupils, including those with SEND, do not learn as securely as they could. This is because, at times, new learning does not build on what has been 17 and 18 June 2025

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taught before. The school should ensure that staff routinely check pupils’ learning to identify any gaps in learning to ensure that this is secure.

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How can I feed back my views?

find out what other parents and carers think. We use information from Ofsted Parent View when deciding which schools to inspect, when to inspect them and as part of their inspection.

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How can I feed back my views?

The Department for Education has further guidance on how to complain about a school.

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Further information

You can search for published performance information about the school.

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Further information

In the report, 'disadvantaged pupils' is used to mean pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND); pupils who meet the definition of children in need of help and protection ; pupils receiving statutory local authority support from a social worker; and pupils who otherwise meet the criteria used for deciding the school's pupil premium funding (this includes pupils claiming free school meals at any point in the last six years, looked after children (children in local authority care) and/or children who left care through adoption or another formal route). 17 and 18 June 2025

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School details

Appropriate authority The governing body

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School details

Dates of previous inspection 26 and 27 March 2024, under section 8 of the Education Act 2005

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Information about this school

 The school does not make use of any alternative provision.  This Catholic faith school is part of the Diocese of Salford. It had its last section 48 inspection, for schools with a religious character, in March 2025. The next section 48 inspection is due in 2029/30.

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Information about this inspection

The inspectors carried out this graded inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005. During a graded inspection, we grade the school for each of our key judgements (quality of education; behaviour and attitudes; personal development; and leadership and management) and for any relevant provision judgement (early years and/or sixth form provision). Schools receiving a graded inspection from September 2024, will not be given an overall effectiveness grade.

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Information about this inspection

 Inspections are a point-in-time evaluation about the quality of a school’s education provision. 17 and 18 June 2025

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 Inspectors discussed any continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic with the school and have taken that into account in their evaluation of the school.  To evaluate the effectiveness of safeguarding, inspectors: reviewed the single central record; took account of the views of leaders, staff and pupils; and considered the extent to which the school has created an open and positive culture around safeguarding that puts pupils’ interests first.  Inspectors carried out deep dives in these subjects: early reading, mathematics and history. For each deep dive, inspectors held discussions about the curriculum, visited a sample of lessons, spoke to teachers, spoke to some pupils about their learning and looked at samples of pupils’ work.  Inspectors also discussed with pupils their learning in some other subjects.  An inspector observed pupils from Year 1 to Year 3 read to a familiar adult.  Inspectors met with the headteacher, deputy headteacher, assistant headteacher and

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other leaders. An inspector also met with the governing body, including the chair of governors.  Inspectors observed pupils’ behaviour during lessons and breaktimes. They also spoke with pupils about their views of school life.  Inspectors considered the views of parents. They reviewed the responses to Ofsted Parent View, including the free-text comments.  Inspectors considered the views of staff and pupils who responded to Ofsted’s online surveys.

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Inspection team

Frith Murphy, lead inspector His Majesty's Inspector

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Inspection team

Elizabeth Travis Ofsted Inspector 17 and 18 June 2025

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achieve excellence in the care of children and young people, and in education and skills for learners of all ages. It regulates and inspects childcare and children's social care, and inspects the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (Cafcass), schools, colleges, initial teacher training, further education and skills, adult and community learning, and education and training in prisons and other secure establishments. It assesses council children's services, and inspects services for children looked after, safeguarding and child protection.

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