Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
Gautby Road, Bidston, Birkenhead, CH41 7DU
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Paula Brás
- Diocese
- Diocese of Shrewsbury
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Birkenhead
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 185
- URN
- 105087
- Local authority
- Wirral
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01516528454
About this school
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Birkenhead. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 185 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Holy Cross Catholic Primary 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
- Early years
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 20 | 14 | 15 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 60% | 71% | 73% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 5% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 65% | 71% | 73% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 79% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 60% | 57% | 67% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 102.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 |
| Reading progress | -1.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Holy Cross Catholic Primary 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 | Wirral average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 60% | 52% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 71% | 50.3% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 73% | 53.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 158 |
| 2023/24 | 171 |
| 2024/25 | 181 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Cross Catholic Primary School compares
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School ranked 12th of 75 primary schools in Wirral for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 24% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 73% | 7.1% | 81.6% | 185 | — |
| Bidston Avenue Primary School | — | — | — | 446 | 0.5 miles |
| Co-op Academy Portland | 45% | 6% | 57.1% | 227 | 0.6 miles |
| Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School | 27% | 6.9% | 68.4% | 404 | 0.7 miles |
| St Paul's Catholic Primary School | 53% | 7.6% | 67.5% | 99 | 0.8 miles |
| Manor Primary School | 56% | 6.7% | 60.9% | 117 | 0.9 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)
- 81.6%
- English as an additional language
- 21%
- Overall absence
- 7.14%
- Persistent absence
- 19.74%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Bidston Avenue Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Birkenhead
-
Co-op Academy Portland0.6 miles
Primary · Birkenhead
-
Bidston Village CofE (Controlled) Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Prenton
-
St Paul's Catholic Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Prenton
-
Manor Primary School0.9 miles
Primary · Wirral
Other schools in Birkenhead
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School ranks 1st of the 12 ranked primary schools in Birkenhead.
- Bedford Drive Primary School Primary
- Bidston Avenue Primary School Primary
- Birkenhead Christ Church CofE Primary School Primary
- Co-op Academy Portland Primary
- Devonshire Park Primary School Primary
- Our Lady and St Edward's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Rock Ferry Primary School Primary
- St Anne's Catholic Primary School Primary
- St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School Primary
- The Priory Parish CofE Primary School Primary
- Well Lane Primary School Primary
- Woodchurch Road Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Holy Cross Catholic Primary School teach?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Birkenhead.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is Mrs Paula Brás, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Holy Cross Catholic Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holy Cross Catholic Primary 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 Cross Catholic Primary School?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School has 185 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Holy Cross Catholic Primary School full?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 185 on roll (88%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is Holy Cross Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Shrewsbury.
- Does Holy Cross Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Holy Cross Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Holy Cross Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 60% in 2022/23 and 73% 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 Cross Catholic Primary School compare with other schools in Wirral?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School ranked 12th of 75 primary schools in Wirral for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 73% of England primary 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 Cross Catholic Primary School's absence rate?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 7.1% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holy Cross Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holy Cross Catholic Primary 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.