Rugby Free Secondary School

Rugby Free Secondary School is a welcoming and inclusive school where pupils feel safe, behave well and benefit from a highly effective personal development programme. Inspectors found pupils, including disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND, make secure progress; sixth-form students achieve well, especially in GCSE resits and level 2 courses. Safeguarding standards are met. The school has experienced significant change since the last inspection, with a new headteacher, rapid pupil growth and membership of Triumph Learning Trust; leaders have managed this well and created a positive culture. The school has a specially resourced SEND provision and high proportions of pupils with SEND and EHC plans. Personal development is a standout strength, with strong teaching of equality, diversity, healthy relationships, online safety and British values, plus high-quality careers guidance and many enrichment and pupil leadership opportunities. Behaviour and relationships are positive, bullying is rare and lessons are calm. SEND identification and support are robust, and additional funding for disadvantaged pupils is used effectively. Leadership, governance and trust support are effective, and staff feel well supported. The main areas for improvement are that curriculum delivery is not consistently high quality across all subjects and key stages, and some teaching does not check understanding or give feedback as well as it could, including occasionally in the sixth form. Attendance is improving, but leaders' actions are not yet fully embedded; overall absence and persistent absence were above national averages in the latest two-term data. Leaders have an accurate view of these priorities and are working to address them.

Strengths

• Highly effective personal development programme
• Pupils develop strong knowledge of equality, diversity and fundamental British values
• High-quality careers advice and guidance
• Strong pastoral support and pupils feel safe and cared for
• Many meaningful pupil leadership and enrichment opportunities
• Inclusive culture with effective support for pupils with SEND
• Robust SEND identification, monitoring and tailored interventions
• Effective use of additional funding for disadvantaged pupils
• Calm and purposeful lessons with positive staff-pupil relationships
• Pupils are respectful and bullying is rare
• Attendance is improving, including for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Curriculum is well planned and sequenced
• Sixth-form curriculum meets students' needs and prepares them well
• Sixth-form students achieve well in GCSE resits and level 2 courses
• Strong leadership and governance, with effective management of growth
• Staff feel well supported with workload and wellbeing
• Effective trust support, particularly for new leaders
• Safeguarding standards are met
• High-quality professional development for staff
• Good parental engagement through community workshops

Areas for Improvement

• Curriculum is not consistently taught well across all subjects and key stages
• Teaching quality varies in some subjects, including in the sixth form
• Some teachers do not consistently check understanding or provide effective feedback
• Attendance improvements are not yet fully embedded or sustained
• Overall absence and persistent absence remain above national averages in the latest data

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 Rugby Free Secondary School attended 89.8% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 28.9% 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, 3.4% of pupils at Rugby Free Secondary School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 3 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 Rugby Free Secondary School had 16.5 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.7% 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, 19.7% of pupils at Rugby Free Secondary School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 7.3% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 3.5%).

The school has resourced provision with 24 pupils.

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 Rugby Free Secondary School received £8,386 and spent £8,152 for each of its 1,113 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £807,000 (£725 per pupil).

Across all 5 schools of Triumph Learning Trust, income was £7,475 and spending £7,039 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 Rugby · Warwickshire local authority: places and applications

Rugby Free Secondary School is part of Triumph Learning Trust, which runs 5 schools. The nearest others:

• Cawston Grange Primary School Rugby
• Rugby Free Primary School Rugby
• Courthouse Green Primary School Coventry
• Alderman's Green Primary School Coventry

What is Rugby Free Secondary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Rugby Free Secondary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in June 2026.

When was Rugby Free Secondary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Rugby Free Secondary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Rugby Free Secondary School have?

Rugby Free Secondary School has 1,168 pupils on roll.

What age range does Rugby Free Secondary School cover?

Rugby Free Secondary School for pupils aged 11 to 19.

What are Rugby Free Secondary School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 43.5, and 34% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is Rugby Free Secondary School?

Rugby Free Secondary School is at Anderson Avenue, Rugby, Warwickshire, CV22 5PE.