Austin Friars
Etterby Scaur, Carlisle, CA3 9PB
- Phase
- Independent schools
- School type
- Other independent school
- Ages
- 3 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Religious character
- Roman Catholic
- Headteacher
- Mr Christopher Hattam
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Carlisle
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 660
- Pupils on roll
- 278
- URN
- 112453
- Local authority
- Cumberland
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01228528042
About this school
Austin Friars is a Roman Catholic independent school in Carlisle. It teaches children aged 3 to 18 and has 278 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has not yet inspected Austin Friars under its current framework. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Austin Friars has not been inspected by Ofsted yet. It opened in its current form in January 1958, and new or converted schools usually wait a few years for their first inspection.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 42 | 39 | 37 |
| Attainment 8 score | 9.9 | 12.4 | 15.6 |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
Progress 8 is paused nationally for the 2024/25 and 2025/26 school years. Those pupils sat no key stage 2 tests during the Covid pandemic, so there is no starting point to measure progress from. A blank figure here is not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Austin Friars has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Cumberland average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.9 | 36.8 | 39.8 |
| 2023/24 | 12.4 | 34.4 | 39.5 |
| 2024/25 | 15.6 | 36 | 39 |
Department for Education KS4 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 361 |
| 2023/24 | 331 |
| 2024/25 | 323 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 0%
- Pupils with an EHC plan
- 4
- Pupils on SEN support
- 61
Location
Nearby schools
-
University of Cumbria0.9 miles
Universities · Carlisle
-
Progress Schools - Carlisle1.1 miles
Special schools · Carlisle
-
James Rennie School1.3 miles
Academies · Carlisle
-
Gillford Centre2.4 miles
Local authority maintained schools · Carlisle
-
Lime House School6.4 miles
Independent schools · Carlisle
Other schools in Carlisle
- Lime House School Independent schools
- Armathwaite School Primary
- Belle Vue Primary School Primary
- Bewcastle School Primary
- Blackford CofE Primary School Primary
- Brook Street Primary School Primary
- Burgh by Sands School Primary
- Caldew Lea School Primary
- Crosby-on-Eden CofE School Primary
- Cummersdale School Primary
- Cumwhinton School Primary
- Great Corby School and Nursery Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Austin Friars teach?
- Austin Friars teaches children aged 3 to 18. It is an independent school in Carlisle.
- Who is the headteacher of Austin Friars?
- The headteacher of Austin Friars is Mr Christopher Hattam, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Austin Friars been inspected?
- Ofsted has not inspected Austin Friars under its current framework, so no current judgement is shown. That is common for newer schools and is not a mark against a school.
- How many pupils are at Austin Friars?
- Austin Friars has 278 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 18.
- Is Austin Friars full?
- Austin Friars has capacity for 660 pupils and 278 on roll (42%), 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 Austin Friars a faith school?
- Yes. Austin Friars is designated Roman Catholic.
- Is Austin Friars a selective school?
- No. Austin Friars is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- How have Austin Friars's results changed over recent years?
- Its Attainment 8 score was 9.9 in 2022/23 and 15.6 in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What are Austin Friars's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Austin Friars'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 24 July 2026.