Schools by area › Suffolk › The Willows Primary School
The Willows Primary School
Primary · Mixed · Ages 4–11 · Academy
Downing Close, Ipswich IP2 9ER · thewillows.omat.org.uk · 01473 683178
Overview
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement
- 2019 framework · inspected Feb 2024
- Key stage 2, 2024/25
- 35%
- reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths. Suffolk 59%, England 62%
- Demand for places
- 1.0
- first choices for each place · Reception, September 2026
- Pupils
- 259
- 66% of 390 places
- Local authority
- Suffolk
- Nursery class
- No
- Free school meals
- 60.6%
- First language not English
- 23.2%
- School census 2025/26
The official school record (Department for Education)
Admissions
For Reception in September 2026, 19 families put the school first and 20 places were offered; 100% of those families were offered a place there. Admission depends on the school’s own rules.
First choices against places
| Reception | Places | First choices | Per place | % offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2026Sept 2026 | 20 | 19 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2025Sept 2025 | 17 | 17 | 1 | 100% |
| September 2024Sept 2024 | 25 | 23 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2023Sept 2023 | 40 | 37 | 0.9 | 100% |
| September 2022Sept 2022 | 42 | 40 | 1 | 100% |
Results
In 2024/25, 35% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths at the end of key stage 2, and 6% the higher standard. Across Suffolk it was 59%, and across England 62%.
Expected standard reading, writing and maths
| 2024/25 | Trend | School | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading, writing and maths | |||
| ▼35% | 62% | ||
| ●6% | 8% | ||
| Average scaled score | |||
| ▼100 | 106 | ||
| ▼100 | 105 | ||
| ▼99 | 105 | ||
Some years are for the predecessor school (URN 124669)
Ofsted
The Willows Primary School was judged Requires improvement at its last graded inspection, on 13 February 2024, under Ofsted’s 2019 framework.
- Overall
- Requires improvement
- Inspected
- 13 Feb 2024
- Graded inspection
Safeguarding effectiveInspection reports
Graded areas
| Quality of education | Requires improvement |
|---|---|
| Behaviour and attitudes | Requires improvement |
| Personal development | Good |
| Leadership and management | Requires improvement |
| Early years | Good |
Previously: Requires improvement, graded inspection, Jan 2020
Other inspections
September 2019 to November 2025
- Jan 2025Monitoring visitEffective action
Jan 2020Requires improvement
Quality of education Requires improvement Behaviour and attitudes Good Personal development Good Leadership and management Good Early years Good Safeguarding Effective
Before September 2019
Jan 2013Good
Outcomes for pupils Good Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Good Leadership and management Good Jun 2010Requires improvement
Outcomes for pupils Requires improvement Quality of teaching, learning and assessment Requires improvement Leadership and management Requires improvement Early years Requires improvement
What parents said
24% of the parents who answered Ofsted’s Parent View survey would recommend the school (29 replies, to 6 January 2025).
- Recommend
- 24%
- Replies
- 29
- 8% · 6 Jan 2025
based on the 83% who raised concerns
based on the 52% who had a child bullied
based on 11 parents (38%) with SEND