Co-op Academy Friarswood
Abbots Way, Newcastle, ST5 2ES
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMIES TRUST
- Headteacher
- Mrs L Wilmer
- Admissions policy
- Non-selective
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- The Co-operative Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Newcastle-under-Lyme
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 210
- Pupils on roll
- 214
- URN
- 144207
- Local authority
- Staffordshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01782470401
About this school
Co-op Academy Friarswood is a primary academy in Newcastle. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 214 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 25 May 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. 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 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 27 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 68% | 85% | 86% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 11% | 14% |
| Expected standard in reading | 76% | 93% | 93% |
| Expected standard in maths | 76% | 89% | 93% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 84% | 89% | 93% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 109.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 107.0 | 109.0 |
| Reading progress | +5.20 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +3.30 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.50 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Co-op Academy Friarswood has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Staffordshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 68% | 59.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 85% | 61.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 86% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 3.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 3.4% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 205 |
| 2023/24 | 200 |
| 2024/25 | 203 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Co-op Academy Friarswood compares
Co-op Academy Friarswood ranked 15th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 86% | 3.4% | 1.6% | 214 | — |
| St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy | 55% | 4.9% | 31.1% | 360 | 0.4 miles |
| Hassell Primary School | 48% | 5.4% | 26.1% | 173 | 0.5 miles |
| Langdale Primary School | 59% | 4.7% | 14.7% | 411 | 0.6 miles |
| Westlands Primary School | 64% | 5.3% | 18.3% | 204 | 0.6 miles |
| St Mary's Catholic Primary School | 69% | 4.8% | 20.4% | 444 | 0.6 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 1.62%
- English as an additional language
- 7.9%
- Overall absence
- 3.35%
- Persistent absence
- 3.57%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Newcastle
-
Hassell Primary School0.5 miles
Primary · Newcastle
-
Langdale Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newcastle
-
Westlands Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newcastle-under-Lyme
-
St Mary's Catholic Primary School0.6 miles
Primary · Newcastle Under Lyme
Other schools in Newcastle
Co-op Academy Friarswood ranks 1st of the 15 ranked primary schools in Newcastle.
- Bursley Academy Primary
- Churchfields Primary School Primary
- Crackley Bank Primary School Primary
- Ellison Primary Academy Primary
- Hassell Primary School Primary
- Hempstalls Primary School Primary
- Langdale Primary School Primary
- May Bank Infants' School Primary
- Our Lady and St Werburgh's Catholic Primary School Primary
- Silverdale Primary Academy Primary
- St Chad's CofE (C) Primary School Primary
- St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Co-op Academy Friarswood teach?
- Co-op Academy Friarswood teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Newcastle.
- Who is the headteacher of Co-op Academy Friarswood?
- The headteacher of Co-op Academy Friarswood is Mrs L Wilmer, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Co-op Academy Friarswood last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Co-op Academy Friarswood, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How big is Co-op Academy Friarswood?
- Co-op Academy Friarswood has 214 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Co-op Academy Friarswood full?
- Co-op Academy Friarswood has capacity for 210 pupils and 214 on roll (102%), so it is at or above 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 Co-op Academy Friarswood a faith school?
- No. Co-op Academy Friarswood has no designated religious character.
- Is Co-op Academy Friarswood a selective school?
- No. Co-op Academy Friarswood is recorded as non-selective in the schools register.
- Does Co-op Academy Friarswood have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Co-op Academy Friarswood as having nursery classes.
- Who runs Co-op Academy Friarswood?
- Co-op Academy Friarswood is part of THE CO-OPERATIVE ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Co-op Academy Friarswood's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 68% in 2022/23 and 86% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Co-op Academy Friarswood rank locally?
- Co-op Academy Friarswood ranked 15th of 229 primary schools in Staffordshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 95% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 95% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Co-op Academy Friarswood's absence rate?
- Co-op Academy Friarswood's overall absence rate is 3.4% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Co-op Academy Friarswood's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Co-op Academy Friarswood'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 10 July 2026.