Friars Academy
Friars Close, Wellingborough, NN8 2LA
- Phase
- Academies
- School type
- Academy special converter
- Ages
- 11 to 18
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- BETTER TOGETHER LEARNING TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mr Jonathan Budd
- Religious ethos
- None
- SEN provision
- ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder
- Constituency
- Wellingborough and Rushden
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 154
- Pupils on roll
- 149
- URN
- 140277
- Local authority
- North Northamptonshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01933304950
About this school
Friars Academy is a special academy in Wellingborough. It teaches children aged 11 to 18 and has 149 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Friars Academy, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 15 January 2025, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Exam results
Key stage 4 (GCSEs)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 4 | 26 | 30 | 30 |
| Attainment 8 score | - | - | - |
| Progress 8 score | - | - | - |
| Grade 5 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Grade 4 or above in English and maths | - | - | - |
| Entered the English Baccalaureate | - | - | - |
| English Baccalaureate average point score | - | - | - |
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 Friars Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 8.1% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 9.1% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 8.6% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 148 |
| 2023/24 | 151 |
| 2024/25 | 143 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 47.45%
- English as an additional language
- 9.8%
- Overall absence
- 8.58%
- Persistent absence
- 26.06%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Wellingborough School0.3 miles
Independent schools · Wellingborough
-
Refocus0.4 miles
Independent schools
-
Rowan Gate Primary School - Four Sites0.9 miles
Special schools · Wellingborough
-
Creating Tomorrow College4.7 miles
Other types · Kettering
-
Chelveston Road School4.8 miles
Free Schools · Higham Ferrers
Other schools in Wellingborough
- Rowan Gate Primary School - Four Sites Special schools
- Croyland Nursery School & Day Nursery Nursery
- Highfield Nursery School Nursery
- All Saints CEVA Primary School and Nursery Primary
- Bozeat Community Primary School Primary
- Croyland Primary School Primary
- Finedon Mulso Church of England Junior School Primary
- Finedon Nursery and Infant School Primary
- Freemans Endowed Church of England Junior Academy Primary
- Great Doddington Primary Primary
- Irchester Community Primary School Primary
- Irthlingborough Junior School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Friars Academy teach?
- Friars Academy teaches children aged 11 to 18. It is a special school in Wellingborough.
- Who is the headteacher of Friars Academy?
- The headteacher of Friars Academy is Mr Jonathan Budd, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Friars Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Friars Academy, 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 Friars Academy?
- Friars Academy has 149 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 11 to 18.
- Is Friars Academy full?
- Friars Academy has capacity for 154 pupils and 149 on roll (97%), 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 Friars Academy a faith school?
- No. Friars Academy has no designated religious character.
- Is Friars Academy part of an academy trust?
- Friars Academy is part of BETTER TOGETHER LEARNING TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- What SEN provision does Friars Academy have?
- The schools register lists Friars Academy's special educational needs provision as: ASD - Autistic Spectrum Disorder. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- What is Friars Academy's absence rate?
- Friars Academy's overall absence rate is 8.6% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Friars Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Friars Academy'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 1 July 2026.