Holy Family Catholic Primary School
General Information
- Address: Maltings Lane, Witham, CM8 1DX – View on map
- Phone: 01376513418
- Website: Visit school website
- Headteacher: Mrs Julia Murray
- Age range: 5-11 years
- Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 21 families put it first for 30 places – 7 for every 10 places. 90% of them were offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 8 · 2024 9 · 2025 9 · 2026 7
- Sixth form: No
- Intake: Mixed
- Religious character: Roman Catholic
- Nursery provision: No
Who goes here
- Pupils eligible for free school meals: 35
- % eligible for free school meals: 17.5%
- Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (more mixed than the Braintree average)
- English as an additional language: 6% (England 22%)
Staff
Teachers leaving each year
- Teacher turnover: 9.5% a year (Braintree 16.1%, typical in England 13.9%)
- Where they went: about 27% moved to another school, 73% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
- Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)
Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house. This is a small staff, so one or two teachers leaving moves the figure a lot.
Behaviour
Awaiting Data
Across Essex: suspensions by reason
- Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 28 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
- Suspensions for bullying: 17 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
- Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 7 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
- Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)
These are figures for all state primary schools in Essex (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.
Attendance
- Overall absence: 2.9%
- Persistently absent pupils: 1.7%
- Data year: 2024/25
SEN
No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision
- Pupils on SEN Support: 12.9%
- Pupils with an EHC Plan: 2.5%
- Data year: 2025/26
Most common needs - SEN Support
- Specific learning difficulty: 9 pupils
- Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
- Speech, language and communications needs: 5 pupils
- Physical disability: 2 pupils
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 2 pupils
Most common needs - EHC Plan
- Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
- Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
These figures show the makeup of the school.
Educational Attainment
Good 2022 report
Year 6 SATs results
- Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 70% (England 62%)
- Reached the higher standard: 9% (England 8%)
- Compared with the area: 9 percentage points above the Braintree average (62%)
- Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well above (3-year average 72% against an expected 56%)
- 3-year average (expected standard): 72%
- Expected standard by subject: Reading 87% · Writing 83% · Maths 70% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 87%
- Average test scores: reading 107, maths 103
- Based on: 23 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25
View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.
SATs results over time
Year 6 SATs: joint 15th of 45 junior and primary schools in the area
- #14Steeple Bumpstead Primary School71%
- =15de Vere Primary School70%
- =15Holy Family Catholic Primary School70%
- #17St Peter's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Coggeshall68%
- =18Chipping Hill Primary School67%
Click to see the full ranking
View full Ofsted inspection report
12th of 33 primary schools in Braintree for Ofsted rating
- #10Feering Church of England Primary SchoolGood
- #11Gosfield Community Primary SchoolGood
- #12Holy Family Catholic Primary SchoolGood
- #13Holy Trinity Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, HalsteadGood
- #14John Bunyan Primary School and NurseryGood
Click to see the full ranking
Financials
Spending per pupil: £6,717 (2024-25)
16th of 40 primary schools in Braintree for spending per pupil
- #14St Andrew's Church of England Primary School, Great Yeldham£6,911
- #15Beckers Green Primary School£6,890
- #16Holy Family Catholic Primary School£6,717
- #17White Court School£6,648
- #18Holy Trinity Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Halstead£6,566
Click to see the full ranking
View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)