Whitefriars School

Whitefriars School is performing well overall, with a good quality of education and effective leadership. Despite being previously rated as outstanding, the school has faced significant changes in the past year, particularly with new leadership focused on curriculum improvement. Students are happy, safe, and well-supported, contributing to a positive school community. The early years provision is particularly strong, fostering essential skills in young learners. However, there are areas where the curriculum does not fully meet expectations across all subjects, especially in the secondary phase, indicating room for improvement.

Strengths

• Strong focus on pupils' personal development and well-being.
• Effective early years provision with a rich curriculum.
• Calm and inclusive school environment where pupils feel safe.
• Positive behavior management strategies leading to good behavior.
• Effective support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum in some subjects lacks clear identification of key knowledge.
• Assessment practices in the secondary phase do not consistently match pupils' learning.

Admissions: local authority offers data from the Department for Education. A school is oversubscribed when at least 5% of the families who put it first were not offered a place, and undersubscribed when everyone who put it first got in but 10% or more of its places were unfilled in the Department's school capacity survey (the latest survey is used for entry years it does not cover). Places: Department for Education, School capacity, from local authorities' annual survey as at 1 May. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024–25); the survey was not run in 2020. Places include sixth form places. Forecasts are the local authority's own for the school's planning area, an area it uses to plan places that is not the school's catchment area. The forecast starts from a head count in 2025; the dashed line is the Department's estimate of places in that area, including those the authority has firm plans for. Planned places are cumulative, and only those with firm plans are counted.

In 2024–25 pupils at Whitefriars School attended 91.7% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.6% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 23.4%).

Sessions missed

Pupils persistently absent

Source: Department for Education, Pupil absence in schools in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of sessions; severe absence means 50% or more. No figures were published for 2019/20.

In 2024–25, 5.2% of pupils at Whitefriars School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). No pupils were permanently excluded.

Pupils suspended at least once

Source: Department for Education, Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). A pupil can be suspended more than once, so suspensions per 100 pupils can be higher than the share of pupils suspended. Very small numbers are hidden by the DfE. Exclusion figures dropped in 2020 and 2021 because of school closures.

In 2025–26 Whitefriars School had 17.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 14.0% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 14.1%).

Pupils per teacher

Teachers who left the school within a year

Source: Department for Education, School workforce in England. Each year is the one the school year ends in (2025 is 2024/25). Pupils per teacher counts full-time-equivalent pupils and teachers. Turnover is the share of a year's teachers (full-time equivalent) who were not at the school the following year, whether they moved to another school or left state-funded teaching. Turnover and sickness figures run one year behind the ratios. Sick leave is the share of teachers who took at least one day in the year, so it swings widely at small schools, where a few teachers can make it 0% or 100%. The national figures are for all state schools of the same type.

In 2025–26, 11.7% of pupils at Whitefriars School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 3.5% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

Pupils by main type of need

Source: Department for Education, Special educational needs in England (the 2025–26 school census). SEN support is extra help in school without an EHC plan. National figures are for all state-funded secondary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2024–25 Whitefriars School received £8,622 and spent £8,638 for each of its 1,403 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £2,694,000 (£1,921 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Heathland Whitefriars Federation, income was £8,184 and spending £8,239 per pupil.

Income per pupil

Spending per pupil

Source: Department for Education, Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool. Each year is the one the financial year ends in (2024 is 2023–24). Academy figures include a share of the trust's central services, shared out by pupil numbers, and are rounded to the nearest £1,000. Premises costs were defined differently from 2024, so compare them across that gap with care.

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Harrow · Harrow local authority: places and applications

Whitefriars School is part of Heathland Whitefriars Federation, which runs 2 schools. The nearest others:

• Heathland School Harrow

What is Whitefriars School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Whitefriars School is Good, from an inspection in May 2024.

When was Whitefriars School last inspected by Ofsted?

Whitefriars School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Whitefriars School have?

Whitefriars School has 1,419 pupils on roll.

What age range does Whitefriars School cover?

Whitefriars School for pupils aged 3 to 18.

What are Whitefriars School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 45.1, and 45% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

What are Whitefriars School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 44% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Whitefriars School?

Whitefriars School is at Whitefriars Avenue, Wealdstone, Harrow, Middlesex, HA3 5RQ.