Willows Primary School

Willows Primary School continues to perform well, maintaining its status as a good school. Pupils express high levels of happiness and engagement in their learning environment, enjoying a school culture that celebrates individuality and respect. The school's commitment to ambitious goals for all students, including those with special educational needs, is evident, as pupils achieve well and develop meaningful knowledge over time. The curriculum is thoughtfully designed, especially in areas such as early reading, where staff provide generous support to ensure pupils read fluently by the time they reach key stage 2. Although the school shows strengths in many areas, there are some concerns regarding the early years curriculum. Specifically, it lacks clarity on the essential knowledge that children should acquire, which affects their preparation for subsequent learning stages. Additionally, there are occasions where activities in early years are not optimally chosen, limiting children's capacity for deep thinking and learning. Addressing these areas will enhance the readiness of pupils as they transition to Year 1.

Strengths

• Pupils demonstrate exemplary behaviour and a positive attitude towards learning.
• The school fosters high aspirations among pupils, including those with SEND.
• Early reading initiatives provide strong support to help pupils become fluent readers.
• The school promotes a welcoming and inclusive environment for all students.
• There is a well-structured programme for pupils' wider development, including safety and leadership roles.
• Strong emphasis on staff well-being and support from the leadership team.

Areas for Improvement

• The early years curriculum lacks precise knowledge objectives for children's learning.
• Activities in the early years are occasionally poorly chosen, limiting children's thinking skills.

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 Willows Primary School attended 97.2% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 2.5% of pupils were persistently absent, missing at least one session in ten (nationally 13.0%).

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, 0.0% of pupils at Willows Primary School were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). 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 Willows Primary School had 23.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 5.9% were no longer at the school a year later (nationally 15.7%).

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, 10.1% of pupils at Willows Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 2.7% had an education, health and care (EHC) plan (nationally 4.1%).

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 primary schools. Counts are as published, with small numbers not hidden.

In 2025–26 Willows Primary School received £7,120 and spent £7,273 for each of its 375 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £78,000 (£208 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).

• Primary Schools
• Secondary Schools

All schools in Altrincham · Trafford local authority: places and applications

What is Willows Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Willows Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willows Primary School was last inspected in May 2024.

How many pupils does Willows Primary School have?

Willows Primary School has 375 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willows Primary School cover?

Willows Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Willows Primary School's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 80% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willows Primary School?

Willows Primary School is at Victoria Road, Timperley, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 6PP.