Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School

Address: 68 Georges Road, Holloway, London, N7 8JN Unique reference number (URN): 100437

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Safeguarding standards met

The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, pupils are made safer and feel safe.

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How we evaluate safeguarding

When we inspect schools for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:

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How we evaluate safeguarding

Met: The school has an open and positive culture of safeguarding. All legal requirements are met. Not met: The school has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all legal requirements are met.

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Achievement Expected standard

By the end of key stage 2, pupils achieve well in reading, writing and mathematics. They use this knowledge effectively across the wider curriculum. Pupils' outcomes in national assessments are broadly in line with national averages, with disadvantaged pupils achieving consistently well year on year. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities make steady progress from their starting points. This is because they receive effective support that helps them to achieve well overall and fulfil their potential.

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Achievement Expected standard

Pupils achieve well in phonics by the end of Year 1. Those who need extra support with reading benefit from timely and effective additional help. As a result, pupils secure the reading skills they need to access learning confidently across the curriculum. Pupils' work over time demonstrates that most pupils, including those who are disadvantaged, build knowledge and skills successfully and are well prepared for the next stage of their education.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum is well designed and sequenced to enable pupils to build knowledge and skills progressively. Leaders routinely review its effectiveness and work closely with staff to refine both curriculum content and teaching approaches so that pupils' needs are met effectively. Pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities access the same broad curriculum as their peers because teaching is adapted thoughtfully to support their learning. For pupils with more complex needs, a highly tailored approach to the curriculum ensures that they are also successful in their learning.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

The curriculum's focus on reading, writing and mathematics means that most pupils typically develop essential knowledge and skills progressively. Regular checks of learning in phonics and reading enable staff to identify pupils who need additional support and provide this promptly. However, teaching to develop early writing skills is, at times, not as consistent in building important knowledge. This means that some pupils are less secure in key aspects of writing, including in grammar and in how they learn to form letters and numbers.

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Curriculum and teaching Expected standard

Overall, staff have the subject knowledge needed to deliver the curriculum effectively. They typically explain content in a way that pupils understand. Staff also use checks on learning to help pupils improve their knowledge. Teaching gives pupils opportunities to remember what they have learned previously and make connections with their current learning. For example, Year 6 pupils recall facts about the Treaty of Versailles to help their learning about the Second World War. On the whole, teaching across the school is effective.

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Early years Expected standard

Leaders are ambitious for children in the early years. They want them to have a secure and positive start to their educational journey. Leaders carefully consider how children make progress through the early years and have established a curriculum to match children's needs. Regular professional learning builds staff expertise in teaching this curriculum and ensures that, typically, children are well supported in their learning.

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Early years Expected standard

Teaching enables children to explore, practise and apply what they know. For example, children have great fun using the play equipment outside to develop movement, balance and physical control. Teaching also introduces new ideas in a way that helps children to be curious. For instance, an 'autumn box' filled with conkers and dry leaves encouraged children to think about the changing seasons and the world around them.

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Early years Expected standard

Children develop important early knowledge about reading, writing and mathematics, including phonics. They enjoy reading high-quality texts while learning, for example through using a cookery book while making cakes out of play dough. Teaching generally develops children's vocabulary and speaking skills. However, at times, teaching is not as consistent as it could be in providing explicit opportunities to build and extend children's language.

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Early years Expected standard

Relationships between children and staff are positive and friendly. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are well supported by skilled professionals. Staff consistently ensure that parents and carers are part of their children's learning journey. Staff from early years and Year 1 also work closely together to make sure that children are supported to be generally prepared for their next steps.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders are proactive in identifying and assessing pupils' additional needs quickly, including pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). Staff build positive and warm relationships with pupils and know them well. Leaders are highly committed to making sure that every pupil feels welcome and part of the school's caring community. The school also works effectively with external professionals. Leaders make sure that specialist support is provided for pupils when needed, and that this support contributes well to reducing barriers to pupils' learning and wellbeing. As a result, across the school, pupils feel a secure sense of belonging.

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Inclusion Expected standard

The school has developed and put in place tailored provision for pupils with more complex needs. Well-trained staff ensure that the curriculum and activities closely match pupils' needs. In early years, children with SEND learn alongside their peers and are supported to follow routines and expectations if needed. They engage in play and enthusiastically take part in a range of activities. In other year groups, pupils with SEND also take part confidently in lessons. Staff support these pupils with considered and appropriate adaptations. As a result, across the school, pupils with SEND generally make positive progress from their starting points.

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Inclusion Expected standard

Leaders ensure that, overall, additional funding is well deployed to raise achievement, improve teaching and provide wider opportunities for pupils, such as educational trips and clubs. This enables pupils, including pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils, to participate fully in school life and feel part of a caring and inclusive community.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders understand the school's context, strengths and areas that need further improvement, including the actions needed to increase positive attendance. They have identified appropriate priorities and place a clear emphasis on removing barriers to learning so that all pupils can succeed. This includes targeted work to promote the wellbeing and achievement of pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) and disadvantaged pupils. Leaders demonstrate a commitment to continuous improvement, including, for example, by engaging with professional networks and sharing practice with other local schools.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Staff, including those at the early stages of their careers, feel well supported. Professional learning for staff is carefully planned and in line with the school priorities. Staff are proud to be a part of this caring school community. Staff welcome leaders' collaborative approach, particularly the consideration given to workload when developing and implementing school priorities.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Governors are clear about their roles and responsibilities and fulfil their statutory responsibilities well. Their oversight of the curriculum, teaching and safeguarding is robust. The governing body uses its professional expertise well to provide helpful challenge to leaders, for example in ensuring that funding is targeted effectively at reducing barriers for disadvantaged pupils.

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Leadership and governance Expected standard

Leaders and staff know pupils and families well. Parents and carers appreciate the care that staff provide and describe how leaders are readily available to listen to any concerns. Parents, including those with children with SEND, are pleased with the progress that their children make at this school.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders have established a personal development and wellbeing programme that reflects the needs and context of pupils and the local community. From the early years all the way up to Year 6, the personal, social and health education curriculum enables pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), to revisit key learning and ideas each year as they grow older. This approach ensures that pupils learn about a range of important topics in an age-appropriate way. For example, pupils learn about healthy relationships and how to keep safe, both online and in their daily lives.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Pastoral support is effective in supporting pupils' wellbeing. Clear and direct teaching about managing emotions supports pupils to articulate how they feel. Pupils know that there are trusted staff they can talk to in school if they are worried or concerned.

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Personal development and wellbeing Expected standard

Leaders place a clear emphasis on developing pupils' confidence and broadening their understanding of the community in which they live. They ensure that pupils benefit from a wide range of experiences and opportunities that extend learning beyond the classroom, including, for example, visiting the Natural History Museum and London Zoo. Leaders are committed to ensuring that these opportunities are accessible to all pupils. They make appropriate adaptations so that pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils can participate fully.

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Needs attention

Pupils take on a range of leadership roles, such as school councillors, chaplaincy leaders and librarians. These roles provide them with multiple opportunities to contribute to the school and wider community. Pupils develop a secure understanding of British values, including tolerance and democracy. For example, in discussions, they show a clear understanding of fairness and responsibility and consistently demonstrate these through their positive interactions with staff and one another.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Attendance is below national levels for some pupils, including a number of pupils who are persistently or recurrently absent. Leaders and governors recognise that attendance needs to improve further and that these improvements need to be consistent. As a result, leaders have identified the ongoing challenges and are introducing more robust systems to identify concerns at an earlier stage, including around school holidays. They work closely with families and provide targeted support. Leaders' understanding of the barriers affecting attendance means that they generally take appropriate action to address them. Although these actions are effective in some instances, it is too soon to see the full impact of these recent improvements.

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Attendance and behaviour Needs attention

Pupils behave well in classrooms and around the school. They are polite and welcoming to visitors and talk confidently about their learning, opportunities and experiences. Through clear teaching about emotions, pupils develop positive behaviour habits and learn to manage their feelings effectively. Warm and supportive relationships help children in the early years and pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities to settle quickly into school routines and follow them. At social times, pupils play energetically and cooperatively with their friends. They are aware that if any issues arise, such as bullying, staff will deal with them quickly and effectively. This helps pupils to feel safe, supported and ready to learn.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Pupils experience a caring and inclusive community where they feel supported and ready to learn. They arrive happily to school and calmly keep to the well-established school rules, which guide everyone's behaviour throughout the day. This helps pupils to feel safe and secure, as do the warm working relationships they have with each other and with staff.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Across the school, pupils are typically engaged in their learning. In lessons, pupils respond confidently to questions and join in with the tasks planned for them. Pupils who face additional barriers to their learning or wellbeing are supported effectively. Children in the early years settle quickly and enjoy learning through carefully designed activities. Typically, pupils achieve well across the curriculum. By the end of key stage 2, pupils attain well, particularly disadvantaged pupils. They are prepared effectively for the next stage of their education. Pupils value the wide range of experiences that support their personal development, including educational visits, clubs and special events. Choir performances and visits to a nearby football stadium and the theatre, for example, help to give pupils many opportunities to develop their creative talents and interests.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

Behaviour is typically calm and orderly throughout the school. At social times, younger pupils engage enthusiastically in imaginative play, while older pupils organise themselves well and collaborate positively in activities such as basketball. Respectful relationships between staff and pupils contribute to a positive school culture. Pupils say that bullying is rare and are confident that staff will deal with any issues promptly. They demonstrate tolerance, kindness and respect for diversity in their interactions with others. Overall, pupils are well prepared for life in modern Britain.

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What it's like to be a pupil at this school

While the school is taking action to improve attendance, for some pupils these actions have not, at present, ensured that they attend school regularly.

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Next steps

Leaders should refine and strengthen their approaches to improving attendance, including implementing new strategies where appropriate, to improve attendance for all groups of pupils. Leaders should ensure that pupils across the school securely acquire and apply the foundational knowledge and skills necessary to write confidently and accurately. In the early years, leaders should continue to strengthen the quality of staff-child interactions to further develop and extend children's language and communication.

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About this inspection

The chair of the board of governors in this school is Kevin Doherty.

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About this inspection

This school is part of a federation with Christ the King Catholic Primary School.

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About this inspection

Inspectors carried out this full inspection under section 5 of the Education Act 2005.

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About this inspection

The inspection took place on 9 and 10 September 2026.

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About this inspection

Following our renewed inspection framework, all inspections are now led by His Majesty's Inspectors (HMIs) or by Ofsted Inspectors (OIs) who have previously served as HMIs.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with the executive headteacher and senior leaders during the inspection. They also met with members of the governing body, as well as a representative from the local authority and from the Diocese of Westminster.

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About this inspection

Inspectors spoke with several pupils, staff, parents and carers. They considered the responses to Ofsted's survey.

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Team inspectors:

Mark Smith, His Majesty's Inspector Curtis Sweetingham, Ofsted Inspector Katharine Vincent, His Majesty's Inspector

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Facts and figures used on inspection

This was the data available at the time of the full inspection, taken from different sources . More recent data may have been published since the full inspection took place.

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Facts and figures used on inspection

The inspector(s) used this data during the full inspection on 9 September 2026

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils currently at this school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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482

Well above average The inspectors confirmed the following information about the school:

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482

The school is registered as having a Catholic religious character. It is in the Diocese of Westminster. The school's last section 48 inspection was in January 2020.

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482

The school uses no alternative provision.

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What does this mean?

The total number of pupils who can attend the school and how this compares to other schools of this phase in England.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals at any point in the last 6 years.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with an education, health and care plan. This covers pupils with more support than is available through special educational needs support.

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What does this mean?

The proportion of pupils with reported special educational needs support at the school.

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What does this mean?

Based on the English indices of deprivation (2019) and the school's location, we have calculated whether the school is located in a more or less deprived area.

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What does this mean?

Whether school has Resourced provision or SEND unit (if applicable).

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standards in a combined reading, writing and mathematics measure.

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average

2024/25 (final) 63% 62% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 62% 60% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (final) 71% 75% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 71% 74% Close to average

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national average

2022/23 (final) 71% 73% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 71% 72% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 73% 72% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 76% 71% Close to average

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Pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (final) 78% 74% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (final) 56% 47% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 44% 46% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading.

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average

2024/25 (final) 69% 63% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 65% 62% Close to average

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average

2022/23 (final) 68% 60% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing.

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average

2024/25 (final) 66% 59% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 68% 58% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics.

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average

2024/25 (final) 69% 61% Close to average

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average

2023/24 (final) 56% 59% Close to average

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Disadvantaged pupils' performance gap

Disadvantaged pupils are those who have been eligible for free school meals at any point in the last six years and children looked after. The school disadvantage gap is the difference between the performance of the school's disadvantaged pupils compared to the performance of all non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.

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mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics, including the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in reading

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in reading and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in teacher-assessed writing

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in teacher- assessed writing and the disadvantaged gap.

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Disadvantaged pupils reaching the expected standard in mathematics

The percentage of disadvantaged pupils meeting the expected standard in mathematics and the disadvantaged gap.

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Overall absence

The percentage of all possible mornings and afternoons missed due to absence from school (for whatever reason, whether authorised or unauthorised) across all pupils.

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 6.5% 5.9% Close to average

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Persistent absence

The percentage of pupils missing 10% or more of their possible mornings and afternoons.

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national average

2022/23 (3 term) 19.9% 16.2% Close to average

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Exceptional

Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other schools can learn from it.

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Strong standard

The school reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of them.

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Expected standard

The school is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional standards expected of them.

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Needs attention

The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary improvements.

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Urgent improvement

The school needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of education and/or care.

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

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Urgent improvement

T: 0300 123 1231 Textphone: 0161 618 8524 E: enquiries@ofsted.gov.uk W: www.gov.uk/ofsted

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