Holy Family Catholic School
1 Shernhall Street, Walthamstow, London, E17 3EA
- Phase
- Secondary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Carolyn Laws
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brentwood
- Constituency
- Walthamstow
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 1,240
- Pupils on roll
- 1,175
- URN
- 103106
- Local authority
- Waltham Forest
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 02085200482
About this school
Holy Family Catholic School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided secondary school in London. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 1,175 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Holy Family Catholic School, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Sixth form
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 195 | 206 | 200 |
| Attainment 8 score | 44.9 | 44.6 | 45.5 |
| Progress 8 score | -0.30 -0.51 to -0.09 | -0.04 -0.24 to +0.17 | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 44% | 38.8% | 43% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 65% | 60.2% | 64% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 38% | 31.6% | 49% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 4.0 | 3.9 | 4.1 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Holy Family Catholic School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Waltham Forest average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 44.9 | 40.5 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 44.6 | 39.8 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 45.5 | 39.8 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 7.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 1,270 |
| 2023/24 | 1,256 |
| 2024/25 | 1,211 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Family Catholic School compares
Holy Family Catholic School ranked 13th of 17 secondary schools in Waltham Forest for Attainment 8 in 2024/25. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | Attainment 8 (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45.5 | 7% | 36% | 1,175 | — |
| Frederick Bremer School | 46.7 | 8.3% | 34.1% | 888 | 0.4 miles |
| Walthamstow School for Girls | 60 | 6.2% | 26.9% | 895 | 0.4 miles |
| Walthamstow Academy | 49.2 | 7.2% | 44.8% | 1,092 | 1.0 miles |
| South Chingford Foundation School | 32.8 | 13.4% | 41.7% | 547 | 1.1 miles |
| Leytonstone School | 49 | 5.3% | 26.5% | 1,028 | 1.1 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 36.04%
- English as an additional language
- 40.3%
- Overall absence
- 7.01%
- Persistent absence
- 20.24%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Frederick Bremer School0.4 miles
Secondary · London
-
Walthamstow School for Girls0.4 miles
Secondary · London
-
Walthamstow Academy1.0 miles
Secondary · London
-
South Chingford Foundation School1.1 miles
Secondary · London
-
Leytonstone School1.1 miles
Secondary · London
Other schools in London
Holy Family Catholic School ranks 184th of the 258 ranked secondary schools in London.
- Acland Burghley School Secondary
- Ada Lovelace Church of England High School Secondary
- Addey and Stanhope School Secondary
- AIM Academy North London Secondary
- Alexandra Park School Secondary
- All Saints Catholic College Secondary
- All Saints Catholic High School Secondary
- Ark Acton Academy Secondary
- Ark All Saints Academy Secondary
- Ark Bolingbroke Academy Secondary
- Ark Burlington Danes Academy Secondary
- Ark Elvin Academy Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Holy Family Catholic School teach?
- Holy Family Catholic School teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a secondary school in London.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Family Catholic School?
- The headteacher of Holy Family Catholic School is Mrs Carolyn Laws, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Holy Family Catholic School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holy Family Catholic School, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at Holy Family Catholic School?
- Holy Family Catholic School has 1,175 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Holy Family Catholic School full?
- Holy Family Catholic School has capacity for 1,240 pupils and 1,175 on roll (95%), so it is close to full. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Holy Family Catholic School a faith school?
- Yes. Holy Family Catholic School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Brentwood.
- Is Holy Family Catholic School a selective school?
- No. Holy Family Catholic School is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Holy Family Catholic School's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 44.9 in 2022/23 and 45.5 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Holy Family Catholic School compare with other schools in Waltham Forest?
- Holy Family Catholic School ranked 13th of 17 secondary schools in Waltham Forest for Attainment 8. Its Attainment 8 score was higher than 59% of England secondary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Holy Family Catholic School's absence rate?
- Holy Family Catholic School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holy Family Catholic School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holy Family Catholic School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.