Co-op Academy Friarswood

Newcastle-under-Lyme · ST5 2ES

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 214 pupils, 1.9% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 12.1% on SEN support Behaviour 3.4% absence rate Staff 7.1% turnover Financials £6,478 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Co-op Academy Friarswood

General Information

Address: Abbots Way, Newcastle, ST5 2ES – View on map
Phone: 01782470401
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs L Wilmer
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 26 families put it first for 28 places – 9 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. 1 of the 28 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 8 · 2025 9 · 2026 9
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

214 pupils out of 210 places At or near capacity

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 4
% eligible for free school meals: 1.9%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (similar to the Newcastle-under-Lyme average)
English as an additional language: 13% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 7.1% a year (Newcastle-under-Lyme 12.5%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 50% moved to another school, 50% 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

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Staffordshire: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 12 (0.2 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 8 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 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 Staffordshire (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: 3.4%
Persistently absent pupils: 3.6%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 12.1%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 0.9%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Social, emotional and mental health: 8 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 7 pupils
SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need: 4 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 3 pupils
Multi-sensory impairment: 2 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Moderate learning difficulty: 1 pupil
Social, emotional and mental health: 1 pupil

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Good 2023 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 86% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 14% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 24 percentage points above the Newcastle-under-Lyme average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Above (3-year average 80% against an expected 68%)
3-year average (expected standard): 80%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 93% · Writing 89% · Maths 93% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 93%
Average test scores: reading 108, maths 109
Based on: 28 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

This schoolNewcastle-under-Lyme averageEngland↗ Improving Up 18 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 24 percentage points above the Newcastle-under-Lyme average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: 1st of 38 junior and primary schools in the area

#1Co-op Academy Friarswood86%
#2The Reginald Mitchell Primary School79%
#3Crackley Bank Primary School78%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1Co-op Academy Friarswood86%
#2The Reginald Mitchell Primary School79%
#3Crackley Bank Primary School78%
=4Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary School77%
=4Sun Academy Bradwell77%
=4The Meadows Primary School77%
#7St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School76%
=8Hugo Meynell CofE (VC) Primary School73%
=8Springhead Primary School73%
=10Ellison Primary Academy72%
=10Hempstalls Primary School72%
=10St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School72%
#13Thursfield Primary School70%
=14Our Lady and St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School69%
=14St Margaret's CofE (VC) Junior School69%
=14St Mary's Catholic Primary School69%
#17Seabridge Primary School68%
#18Bursley Academy67%
=19Alsagers Bank Primary Academy65%
=19Silverdale Primary Academy65%
#21Westlands Primary School64%
#22St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy63%
#23Betley CofE VC Primary School62%
#24Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary School60%
#25Langdale Primary School59%
=26Dove Bank Primary School56%
=26St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy56%
#28St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy55%
#29Castle Primary School50%
#30Hassell Primary School48%
#31Churchfields Primary School44%
#32Ravensmead Primary School42%
#33Chesterton Primary School38%
#34Wood Lane Primary School36%
=35St Luke's CofE (C) Primary School35%
=35St Saviour's CofE Academy35%
#37Kidsgrove Primary School33%
#38Knutton St Marys CofE Academy32%

View full Ofsted inspection report

4th of 31 primary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme for Ofsted rating

#2Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary SchoolGood
#3Castle Primary SchoolGood
#4Co-op Academy FriarswoodGood
#5Crackley Bank Primary SchoolGood
#6Dove Bank Primary SchoolGood

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1The Meadows Primary SchoolOutstanding
#2Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary SchoolGood
#3Castle Primary SchoolGood
#4Co-op Academy FriarswoodGood
#5Crackley Bank Primary SchoolGood
#6Dove Bank Primary SchoolGood
#7Ellison Primary AcademyGood
#8Hassell Primary SchoolGood
#9Hugo Meynell CofE (VC) Primary SchoolGood
#10Kidsgrove Primary SchoolGood
#11Knutton St Marys CofE AcademyGood
#12Langdale Primary SchoolGood
#13Our Lady and St Werburgh's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#14Ravensmead Primary SchoolGood
#15Silverdale Primary AcademyGood
#16Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary SchoolGood
#17Springhead Primary SchoolGood
#18St Chad's CofE (C) Primary SchoolGood
#19St Giles' and St George's Church of England AcademyGood
#20St John the Evangelist Catholic AcademyGood
#21St Mary's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#22St Mary's CofE Primary SchoolGood
#23St Thomas' CofE Primary AcademyGood
#24St Wulstan's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#25Sun Academy BradwellGood
#26The Reginald Mitchell Primary SchoolGood
#27Thursfield Primary SchoolGood
#28Westlands Primary SchoolGood
#29Wood Lane Primary SchoolGood
#30Bursley AcademyRequires improvement
#31St John's CofE Primary AcademyRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £6,478 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

27th of 39 primary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme for spending per pupil

#25St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy£6,678
#26St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School£6,650
#27Co-op Academy Friarswood£6,478
#28St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School£6,404
#29Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary School£6,344

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Wood Lane Primary School£10,587
#2Silverdale Primary Academy£9,437
#3Sun Academy Bradwell£8,186
#4Knutton St Marys CofE Academy£8,130
#5Castle Primary School£8,125
#6St Luke's CofE (C) Primary School£7,984
#7St Thomas' CofE Primary Academy£7,828
#8Hassell Primary School£7,684
#9Springhead Primary School£7,472
#10Sir John Offley CofE (VC) Primary School£7,352
#11Chesterton Primary School£7,343
#12Ravensmead Primary School£7,248
#13Hempstalls Primary School£7,160
#14St Mary's CofE Primary School£7,157
#15Crackley Bank Primary School£7,137
#16The Meadows Primary School£7,105
#17St Saviour's CofE Academy£7,057
#18Betley CofE VC Primary School£7,040
#19St John the Evangelist Catholic Academy£6,974
#20Hugo Meynell CofE (VC) Primary School£6,927
#21The Reginald Mitchell Primary School£6,881
#22Dove Bank Primary School£6,848
#23Kidsgrove Primary School£6,713
#24Langdale Primary School£6,694
#25St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy£6,678
#26St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School£6,650
#27Co-op Academy Friarswood£6,478
#28St Wulstan's Catholic Primary School£6,404
#29Baldwins Gate CofE(VC) Primary School£6,344
#30Churchfields Primary School£6,255
#31Westlands Primary School£6,058
#32Alsagers Bank Primary Academy£6,056
#33Ellison Primary Academy£6,022
#34St Mary's Catholic Primary School£5,857
#35Bursley Academy£5,823
#36St John's CofE Primary Academy£5,814
#37Seabridge Primary School£5,620
#38Our Lady and St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School£5,552
#39Thursfield Primary School£5,453

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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