Co-op Academy Friarswood, Newcastle
Co-op Academy Friarswood is a primary school for pupils aged 3 to 11 in Newcastle, part of The Co-Operative Academies Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2013. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2023 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the highest of the 15 schools in Newcastle with published results, and 814th of 14,452 across England. It was 89% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Above England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2013)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Better than England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Staffordshire (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Co-op Academy Friarswood in detail
Co-op Academy Friarswood in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "I'm very proud to be the Headteacher of this wonderful school. Co-op Academy Friarswood is an inclusive, loving and caring primary school based in the Westlands in Newcastle-under-Lyme. We have a dedicated and enthusiastic team of staff who support children and families in their journey through the start of their education and learning journey."
The school runs after-school care, from £5.95 per morning.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 93% of Year 6 pupils at Co-op Academy Friarswood reached the expected standard in reading and 93% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 79% and 77% in Staffordshire and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (93% in reading, 89% in maths).
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Co-op Academy Friarswood
For September 2026 entry, 26 families put Co-op Academy Friarswood as their first choice and 62 named it as one of their preferences, for 28 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at Co-op Academy Friarswood
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Co-op Academy Friarswood are St Giles' and St George's Church of England Academy (0.4 miles, Good, 60% reading, 62% maths); Hassell Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 58% reading, 74% maths); Langdale Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 78% reading, 75% maths); and Westlands Primary School (0.6 miles, 76% reading, 76% maths).
Co-op Academy Friarswood's 2025 results were higher than all 4 of them.
St Giles' and St George's Church of England AcademyHassell Primary SchoolLangdale Primary SchoolWestlands Primary School
The trust
Co-op Academy Friarswood is one of 40 schools run by The Co-Operative Academies Trust, an academy trust.
Who goes there
1.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), and 12.6% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%) and Mixed (6%).
In 2026, 26 pupils (12.1%) received SEN support and 2 (0.9%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is social, emotional and mental health needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Stoke-on-Trent Rail Station, about 2.1 miles away in a straight line.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Seabridge Road (opposite), 280 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Co-op Academy Friarswood stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 374 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Staffordshire (86), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
Co-op Academy Friarswood recorded no suspensions or permanent exclusions in 2024/25.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Co-op Academy Friarswood are Newcastle Academy (0.7 miles), St John Fisher Catholic College (0.9 miles), Clayton Hall Academy (1.1 miles) and Thistley Hough Academy (1.2 miles).
Newcastle AcademySt John Fisher Catholic CollegeClayton Hall AcademyThistley Hough Academy
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 3 years agoThis judgement is from February 2013, 13 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its February 2013 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
At a Glance
1.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 93% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 89% to 93% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 89% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
27.6
Avg class size
28.0
Infant (KS1)
27.3
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Co-op Academy Friarswood
Fire and Rescue Workshop KS1 2026
24 Sep 2026
Welcome Back! September 2026
9 Sep 2026
Celebration of Learning - Summer 2026
22 Jul 2026
Team Treat Summer Term 2026
22 Jul 2026
Brass Instrument Concert 2026
15 Jul 2026
Career's Fair 2026
15 Jul 2026
From Co-op Academy Friarswood's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Co-op Academy Friarswood
Term dates
Co-op Academy Friarswood is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Staffordshire's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Co-op Academy Friarswood from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Co-op Academy Friarswood is in Staffordshire; for families living there:
Apply to Staffordshire for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 2
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 0
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at Co-op Academy Friarswood
Will you get a place at Co-op Academy Friarswood? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Co-op Academy Friarswood's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Co-op Academy Friarswood:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Co-op Academy Friarswood.
- Staffordshire publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Co-op Academy Friarswood that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Co-op Academy Friarswood for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Staffordshire got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
89%
Available places
186 pupils
210 places
24 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Newcastle
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Newcastle
Across Staffordshire council
Places available
10,768
Applications
8,344
Got 1st preference
95.1%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Staffordshire council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Good.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
26
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
13.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
214
Total Pupils
106
Boys
108
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
19.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£54,763
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,035
Per pupil
£1000k
Total funding
£3k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
3.3%
Overall absence
3.6%
Persistent absence
168
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
Questions parents ask about Co-op Academy Friarswood
What are SATs results like at Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Of the pupils at Co-op Academy Friarswood who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 93% reached the expected standard in reading and 93% did so in maths.
What is Co-op Academy Friarswood's Ofsted rating?
Co-op Academy Friarswood's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2023, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2013, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Co-op Academy Friarswood?
No fixed boundary. When Co-op Academy Friarswood is oversubscribed, Staffordshire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Co-op Academy Friarswood was not full in 2025: it ran at 89% of its 210 places.
How big are the classes at Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Classes at Co-op Academy Friarswood average 27.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Co-op Academy Friarswood has around 214 pupils on roll. 2% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Co-op Academy Friarswood?
3.3% of sessions were missed at Co-op Academy Friarswood in 2024/25. 3.6% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Apply through Staffordshire's coordinated admissions process, naming Co-op Academy Friarswood on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
How many road collisions happen near Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 2 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 2 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Staffordshire is 5 (the median across 457 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Co-op Academy Friarswood?
Co-op Academy Friarswood is at Abbots Way, Newcastle, Staffordshire, ST5 2ES.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)