Holy Cross Catholic Primary School
2 Beaumont Road, St Jude's, Plymouth, PL4 9BE
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- PLYMOUTH CAST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Finola Gill
- Diocese
- Diocese of Plymouth
- Sponsor
- Plymouth CAST
- Constituency
- Plymouth Sutton and Devonport
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 315
- Pupils on roll
- 276
- URN
- 140726
- Local authority
- Plymouth
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01752225420
About this school
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Plymouth. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 276 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 | 43 | 40 | 45 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 47% | 48% | 64% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 9% | 5% | 20% |
| Expected standard in reading | 67% | 65% | 80% |
| Expected standard in maths | 70% | 63% | 80% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 70% | 58% | 71% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 103.0 | 103.0 | 104.0 |
| Reading progress | -2.40 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -2.00 | - | - |
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 | Plymouth average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 47% | 54.2% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 48% | 58.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 64% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 5.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 4.2% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 302 |
| 2023/24 | 306 |
| 2024/25 | 290 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Cross Catholic Primary School compares
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School ranked 32nd of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 64% | 4.2% | 17.9% | 276 | — |
| Mount Street Primary School | 59% | 5% | 40.3% | 253 | 0.3 miles |
| Salisbury Road Primary School | 76% | 5.1% | 25.3% | 395 | 0.4 miles |
| Pilgrim Primary Academy | 70% | 4.4% | 41.2% | 361 | 0.7 miles |
| Prince Rock Primary School | 80% | 5% | 34.8% | 405 | 0.7 miles |
| St Andrew's Cof E VA Primary School | 73% | 4.2% | 27.5% | 190 | 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)
- 17.93%
- English as an additional language
- 51%
- Overall absence
- 4.21%
- Persistent absence
- 8.07%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Mount Street Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Salisbury Road Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Pilgrim Primary Academy0.7 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
Prince Rock Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Plymouth
-
St Andrew's Cof E VA Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Plymouth
Other schools in Plymouth
Holy Cross Catholic Primary School ranks 37th of the 72 ranked primary schools in Plymouth.
- Austin Farm Academy Primary
- Beechwood Primary Academy Primary
- Bickleigh Down Church of England Primary School Primary
- Boringdon Primary School Primary
- Chaddlewood Primary School Primary
- College Road Primary School Primary
- Compton CofE Primary School Primary
- Drake Primary Academy Primary
- Eggbuckland Vale Primary School Primary
- Elburton Primary School Primary
- Ernesettle Community School Primary
- Ford Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Holy Cross Catholic Primary School teach?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Plymouth.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is Mrs Finola Gill, 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 276 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Holy Cross Catholic Primary School full?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School has capacity for 315 pupils and 276 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 Plymouth.
- Does Holy Cross Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Holy Cross Catholic Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Holy Cross Catholic Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School is part of PLYMOUTH CAST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- 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 47% in 2022/23 and 64% 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 Plymouth?
- Holy Cross Catholic Primary School ranked 32nd of 66 primary schools in Plymouth for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 50% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 79% 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 4.2% in the latest published census, at or below 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 1 July 2026.