Friars Primary School and Nursery

Southend-on-Sea · SS3 9XX

General information Primary School · 3-11 years Who goes here 429 pupils, 39.7% FSM

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 14% on SEN support Behaviour 6.2% absence rate Staff 16.3% turnover Financials £5,515 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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Friars Primary School and Nursery

General Information

Address: Constable Way, Shoeburyness, Southend-on-Sea, SS3 9XX – View on map
Phone: 01702294837
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mr Christopher McClay
Age range: 3-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 57 families put it first for 60 places – 10 for every 10 places. 95% of them were offered a place. 3 of the 60 places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 10 · 2024 9 · 2025 9 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: Yes

Who goes here

429 pupils out of 472 places

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 161
% eligible for free school meals: 39.7%
Pupil mix: 3 in 10 (less mixed than the Southend-on-Sea average)
English as an additional language: 8% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 16.3% a year (Southend-on-Sea 12.8%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 40% moved to another school, 60% 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.

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 Southend-on-Sea: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 1 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 0
Suspensions for bullying: 2 (0.1 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (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 Southend-on-Sea, 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: 6.2%
Persistently absent pupils: 19.2%
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: 14.0%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 3.3%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 19 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 18 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 11 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 7 pupils
Hearing impairment: 3 pupils

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Speech, language and communications needs: 9 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 4 pupils
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 2014 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: 66% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 5% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 4 percentage points above the Southend-on-Sea average (62%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: As expected (3-year average 57% against an expected 58%)
3-year average (expected standard): 57%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 80% · Writing 79% · Maths 75% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 84%
Average test scores: reading 105, maths 103
Based on: 56 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 schoolSouthend-on-Sea averageEngland↗ Improving Up 11 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 4 percentage points above the Southend-on-Sea average (62%).

Year 6 SATs: joint 9th of 27 junior and primary schools in the area

#8Darlinghurst Academy68%
=9Earls Hall Primary School66%
=9Friars Primary School and Nursery66%
=9Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery66%
#12Blenheim Primary School65%

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

#1Barons Court Primary School and Nursery91%
#2Edwards Hall Primary School88%
#3West Leigh Junior School84%
#4Bournes Green Junior School80%
#5St George's Catholic Primary School77%
#6Hinguar Community Primary School76%
#7Fairways Primary School70%
#8Darlinghurst Academy68%
=9Earls Hall Primary School66%
=9Friars Primary School and Nursery66%
=9Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery66%
#12Blenheim Primary School65%
#13Bournemouth Park Academy64%
=14Greenways Primary School61%
=14Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School61%
=16Richmond Avenue Primary and Nursery School60%
=16St Helen's Catholic Primary School60%
#18Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School59%
#19Leigh North Street Primary School57%
#20Temple Sutton Primary School56%
#21Hamstel Junior School54%
=22St Mary's, Prittlewell, CofE Primary School53%
=22The Westborough School53%
#24Porters Grange Primary School and Nursery52%
#25Heycroft Primary School43%
#26Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery38%
#27Thorpedene Primary School & Nursery37%

View full Ofsted inspection report

8th of 21 primary schools in Southend-on-Sea for Ofsted rating

#6Eastwood Primary School & NurseryGood
#7Fairways Primary SchoolGood
#8Friars Primary School and NurseryGood
#9Hinguar Community Primary SchoolGood
#10Leigh North Street 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

#1Barons Court Primary School and NurseryOutstanding
#2Blenheim Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Bournemouth Park AcademyGood
#4Darlinghurst AcademyGood
#5Earls Hall Primary SchoolGood
#6Eastwood Primary School & NurseryGood
#7Fairways Primary SchoolGood
#8Friars Primary School and NurseryGood
#9Hinguar Community Primary SchoolGood
#10Leigh North Street Primary SchoolGood
#11Milton Hall Primary School and NurseryGood
#12Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#13Porters Grange Primary School and NurseryGood
#14Prince Avenue Academy and NurseryGood
#15Richmond Avenue Primary and Nursery SchoolGood
#16Sacred Heart Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#17St George's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#18St Helen's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#19Temple Sutton Primary SchoolGood
#20The Westborough SchoolGood
#21Heycroft Primary SchoolInadequate

Financials

Spending per pupil: £5,515 (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.

21st of 24 primary schools in Southend-on-Sea for spending per pupil

#19Heycroft Primary School£5,782
#20Porters Grange Primary School and Nursery£5,665
#21Friars Primary School and Nursery£5,515
#22Richmond Avenue Primary and Nursery School£5,371
#23Hinguar Community Primary School£5,310

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

#1Temple Sutton Primary School£7,656
#2Milton Hall Primary School and Nursery£7,382
#3Bournemouth Park Academy£7,311
#4Blenheim Primary School£7,145
#5St George's Catholic Primary School£7,120
#6Thorpedene Primary School & Nursery£7,003
#7Sacred Heart Catholic Primary School£6,912
#8Fairways Primary School£6,806
#9Barons Court Primary School and Nursery£6,748
#10Prince Avenue Academy and Nursery£6,727
#11St Helen's Catholic Primary School£6,466
#12Earls Hall Primary School£6,462
#13Darlinghurst Academy£6,461
#14The Westborough School£6,441
#15Greenways Primary School£6,426
#16Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School£6,393
#17St Mary's, Prittlewell, CofE Primary School£6,304
#18Leigh North Street Primary School£5,970
#19Heycroft Primary School£5,782
#20Porters Grange Primary School and Nursery£5,665
#21Friars Primary School and Nursery£5,515
#22Richmond Avenue Primary and Nursery School£5,371
#23Hinguar Community Primary School£5,310
#24Edwards Hall Primary School£5,192

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

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