Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy
Stonesby Avenue, Leicester, LE2 6TY
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- ST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs Karen McVea
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Diocese
- Diocese of Nottingham
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Leicester South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 240
- Pupils on roll
- 203
- URN
- 146224
- Local authority
- Leicester
- Telephone
- 01162833135
About this school
Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Leicester. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 203 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 | 44 | 31 | 29 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 45% | 32% | 45% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 2% | 3% | 3% |
| Expected standard in reading | 57% | 55% | 55% |
| Expected standard in maths | 57% | 45% | 55% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 61% | 58% | 45% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 101.0 | 101.0 | 101.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 100.0 | 99.0 | 101.0 |
| Reading progress | +1.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +0.80 | - | - |
| 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 Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Leicester average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 45% | 54.7% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 32% | 57.1% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 45% | 56.4% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.9% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.8% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 230 |
| 2023/24 | 222 |
| 2024/25 | 219 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy compares
Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 64th of 72 primary schools in Leicester for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 45% | 5% | 43.5% | 203 | — |
| Fairfield Community Primary School | 52% | 4.9% | 18.8% | 227 | 0.5 miles |
| Marriott Primary School | 34% | 8.5% | 51.2% | 421 | 0.5 miles |
| Eyres Monsell Primary School | 34% | 7.4% | 40.6% | 388 | 0.6 miles |
| Montrose School | 56% | 5.6% | 28% | 453 | 0.7 miles |
| Water Leys Primary School | 56% | 5.4% | 18.2% | 402 | 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)
- 43.48%
- English as an additional language
- 29.2%
- Overall absence
- 5.01%
- Persistent absence
- 11.54%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Fairfield Community Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Wigston
-
Marriott Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Eyres Monsell Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Montrose School0.7 miles
Primary · Leicester
-
Water Leys Primary School0.7 miles
Primary · Wigston
Other schools in Leicester
Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy ranks 124th of the 139 ranked primary schools in Leicester.
- Abbey Mead Primary Academy Primary
- Alderman Richard Hallam Primary School Primary
- All Saints Church of England Primary School, Sapcote Primary
- Arnesby Church of England Primary School Primary
- Avenue Primary School Primary
- Badgerbrook Primary School Primary
- Barley Croft Primary School Primary
- Barwell Church of England Academy Primary
- Barwell Infant School Primary
- Beaumont Lodge Primary School Primary
- Belgrave St Peter's CofE Primary School Primary
- Billesdon Church of England Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy teach?
- Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Leicester.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy?
- The headteacher of Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is Mrs Karen McVea, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy?
- Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy has 203 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy full?
- Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy has capacity for 240 pupils and 203 on roll (85%), 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 School, a Voluntary Academy a faith school?
- Yes. Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is designated Roman Catholic, in the Diocese of Nottingham.
- Is Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy a selective school?
- No. Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy?
- Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy is part of ST THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 45% in 2022/23 and 45% 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 School, a Voluntary Academy rank locally?
- Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy ranked 64th of 72 primary schools in Leicester for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 16% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 59% 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 School, a Voluntary Academy's absence rate?
- Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Holy Cross Catholic School, a Voluntary Academy'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 2 July 2026.