Holy Family Catholic Primary School
Maltings Lane, Witham, CM8 1DX
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Trust
- THE ROSARY TRUST - A CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY
- Headteacher
- Mrs Julia Murray
- Diocese
- Diocese of Brentwood
- Sponsor
- St Thomas More's Catholic Primary School
- Constituency
- Witham
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 201
- URN
- 148111
- Local authority
- Essex
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01376513418
About this school
Holy Family Catholic Primary School is a Roman Catholic primary academy in Witham. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 201 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
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 | 31 | 27 | 23 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 71% | 74% | 70% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 16% | 11% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 90% | 85% | 87% |
| Expected standard in maths | 74% | 81% | 70% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 90% | 85% | 87% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 106.0 | 107.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 104.0 | 103.0 |
| Reading progress | +7.80 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +5.10 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +3.00 | - | - |
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 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 | Essex average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 71% | 58.9% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 74% | 59.5% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 70% | 60.7% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.2% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 2.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 206 |
| 2023/24 | 202 |
| 2024/25 | 198 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Holy Family Catholic Primary School compares
Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranked 149th of 388 primary schools in Essex for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 70% | 2.9% | 23.7% | 201 | — |
| Howbridge Church of England Junior School | 51% | 7.2% | 27.5% | 356 | 0.1 miles |
| Howbridge Infant School | — | 5.6% | 26.2% | 265 | 0.1 miles |
| Chipping Hill Primary School | 67% | 4.2% | 10.3% | 421 | 0.3 miles |
| Witham Oaks Academy | 72% | 5.2% | 43.4% | 290 | 1.1 miles |
| Acorn Academy | — | 5.9% | 34.5% | 196 | 1.1 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)
- 23.74%
- English as an additional language
- 7.6%
- Overall absence
- 2.93%
- Persistent absence
- 1.67%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Howbridge Church of England Junior School0.1 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Howbridge Infant School0.1 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Chipping Hill Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Witham Oaks Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Witham
-
Acorn Academy1.1 miles
Primary · Witham
Other schools in Witham
Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranks 3rd of the 9 ranked primary schools in Witham.
- Acorn Academy Primary
- Chipping Hill Primary School Primary
- Elm Hall Primary School Primary
- Howbridge Church of England Junior School Primary
- Howbridge Infant School Primary
- Rivenhall Church of England Primary School Primary
- Silver End Academy Primary
- Templars Academy Primary
- White Notley Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School Primary
- Witham Oaks Academy Primary
- Lift Maltings Secondary
- Lift New Rickstones Secondary
Common questions
- What ages does Holy Family Catholic Primary School teach?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a primary school in Witham.
- Who is the headteacher of Holy Family Catholic Primary School?
- The headteacher of Holy Family Catholic Primary School is Mrs Julia Murray, 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 201 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Holy Family Catholic Primary School full?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School has capacity for 210 pupils and 201 on roll (96%), so it is close to full. 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 Brentwood.
- Does Holy Family Catholic Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Holy Family Catholic Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Is Holy Family Catholic Primary School part of an academy trust?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School is part of THE ROSARY TRUST - A CATHOLIC MULTI ACADEMY. 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 71% in 2022/23 and 70% 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 Essex?
- Holy Family Catholic Primary School ranked 149th of 388 primary schools in Essex for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 66% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 98% 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 2.9% 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 10 July 2026.