Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Ostley Bank, Newbarns, Barrow-in-Furness, LA13 9LR
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Voluntary aided school
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mrs Rachel Porter
- Diocese
- Diocese of Lancaster
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Barrow and Furness
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 218
- Pupils on roll
- 217
- URN
- 112366
- Local authority
- Westmorland and Furness
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01229828018
About this school
Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic voluntary aided primary school in Barrow-in-Furness. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 217 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Holy Family 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 14 December 2022, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 32 | 30 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 66% | 77% | 62% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 10% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 78% | 80% | 76% |
| Expected standard in maths | 72% | 83% | 76% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 81% | 80% | 76% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 106.0 | 106.0 | 103.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.90 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.70 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.30 | - | - |
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 Family 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 | Westmorland and Furness average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 66% | 60.6% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 77% | 57% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 62% | 56.5% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.8% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.6% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 224 |
| 2023/24 | 228 |
| 2024/25 | 226 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Family Catholic Primary School compares
Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranked 49th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 62% | 4.3% | 5.5% | 217 | — |
| Newbarns Primary and Nursery School | 47% | 4.6% | 12.6% | 444 | 0.2 miles |
| St Paul's CofE Junior School | 44% | 3.6% | 10.5% | 71 | 0.4 miles |
| Victoria Infant and Nursery School | — | 3.8% | 8.3% | 228 | 0.5 miles |
| Victoria Academy | 65% | 3.7% | 13.9% | 209 | 0.7 miles |
| Parkside Academy | 71% | 4.3% | 42% | 272 | 0.8 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)
- 5.53%
- English as an additional language
- 6.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.34%
- Persistent absence
- 10.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Newbarns Primary and Nursery School0.2 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
St Paul's CofE Junior School0.4 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
Victoria Infant and Nursery School0.5 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
Victoria Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Barrow-in-Furness
-
Parkside Academy0.8 miles
Primary · BARROW-in-FURNESS
Other schools in Barrow-in-Furness
Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranks 6th of the 20 ranked primary schools in Barrow-in-Furness.
- Barrow Island Community Primary School Primary
- Brisbane Park Infant School Primary
- Cambridge Primary School Primary
- Greengate Junior School Primary
- Newbarns Primary and Nursery School Primary
- Newton Village Academy Primary
- Ormsgill Nursery and Primary School Primary
- Parkside Academy Primary
- Ramsden Infant School Primary
- Roose School Primary
- Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School, Barrow Primary
- South Walney Infant and Nursery School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Holy Family Catholic Primary School teach?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Barrow-in-Furness.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of Holy Family Catholic Primary School is Mrs Rachel Porter, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Holy Family Catholic Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holy Family 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 Family Catholic Primary School?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School has 217 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Holy Family Catholic Primary School full?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School has capacity for 218 pupils and 217 on roll (100%), so it is at or above 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 Family Catholic Primary School a faith school?
- Yes. Holy Family Catholic Primary School is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Lancaster.
- Does Holy Family Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Holy Family Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- How have Holy Family Catholic Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 66% in 2022/23 and 62% 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 Primary School compare with other schools in Westmorland and Furness?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranked 49th of 98 primary schools in Westmorland and Furness for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 45% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 76% 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 Primary School's absence rate?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School's overall absence rate is 4.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holy Family Catholic Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holy Family 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.