Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Prior Street, Darlington, DL3 9EN
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Mark Shield
- Diocese
- Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Bishop Hogarth Catholic Education Trust
- Constituency
- Darlington
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 234
- URN
- 139533
- Local authority
- Darlington
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01325380821
About this school
Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Darlington. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 234 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 19 October 2023, 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 | 29 | 31 | 30 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 72% | 74% | 77% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 17% | 13% | 13% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 81% | 90% |
| Expected standard in maths | 79% | 84% | 87% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 79% | 77% | 90% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 107.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 105.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.60 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.00 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +0.50 | - | - |
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 | Darlington average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 72% | 55.3% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 56% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 77% | 59.8% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.7% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.1% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 200 |
| 2023/24 | 221 |
| 2024/25 | 229 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Family Catholic Primary School compares
Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranked 4th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 77% | 4.1% | 15.6% | 234 | — |
| St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School | 37% | 4.9% | 33.8% | 216 | 0.2 miles |
| Mowden Infant School | — | 3.2% | 8% | 169 | 0.5 miles |
| Mowden Junior School | 77% | 3.4% | 14.5% | 295 | 0.6 miles |
| Mount Pleasant Primary School | 76% | 5.7% | 56.9% | 259 | 0.6 miles |
| Reid Street Primary School | 57% | 5% | 30.3% | 364 | 0.7 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)
- 15.61%
- English as an additional language
- 9.6%
- Overall absence
- 4.07%
- Persistent absence
- 9.14%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Mary's Cockerton Church of England Primary School0.2 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mowden Infant School0.5 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mowden Junior School0.6 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Mount Pleasant Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Darlington
-
Reid Street Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Darlington
Other schools in Darlington
Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranks 7th of the 29 ranked primary schools in Darlington.
- Abbey Infants' School Primary
- Abbey Junior School Primary
- Corporation Road Community Primary School Primary
- Croft Church of England Primary School Primary
- Firthmoor Primary School Primary
- Gainford Church of England Primary School and Preschool Primary
- Gurney Pease Academy Primary
- Harrowgate Hill Primary School Primary
- Heathfield Primary School Primary
- High Coniscliffe CofE Primary School Primary
- Hurworth Primary School Primary
- Ingleton CofE Primary 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 Darlington.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of Holy Family Catholic Primary School is Mr Mark Shield, 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 234 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Holy Family Catholic Primary School full?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 234 on roll (111%), 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 Hexham and Newcastle.
- Does Holy Family Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Holy Family Catholic Primary School as having nursery classes.
- Is Holy Family Catholic Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School is part of BISHOP HOGARTH CATHOLIC EDUCATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- 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 72% in 2022/23 and 77% 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 Darlington?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranked 4th of 28 primary schools in Darlington for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 82% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 83% 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 4.1% 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 1 July 2026.