The Willink School

The Willink School is a larger-than-average secondary school in a relatively affluent rural area, serving just over 1,200 pupils with a sixth form. Following the renewed inspection framework, the school has been judged at the expected standard across achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, inclusion, leadership and governance, personal development, and post-16 provision. Pupils achieve well overall, with most attaining above the national average at key stage 4, and sixth-form students make good progress. The school has a calm, positive culture with strong relationships and a well-embedded personal development and careers programme. Safeguarding standards are met, and the school has a good understanding of its strengths and areas for development.

Strengths

• Pupils achieve above the national average at the end of key stage 4 in most subjects
• The curriculum is broad, ambitious, and well-sequenced, with teachers who are subject experts
• Staff provide highly effective support for pupils with special educational needs and/or disabilities
• Attendance is in line with national averages, and leaders have a clear strategy to improve disadvantaged pupils' attendance
• The school has a calm, safe environment with positive relationships and rare disruption to lessons
• Personal development and wellbeing are prioritised, with a well-embedded careers programme and extensive extra-curricular opportunities
• Sixth-form students achieve well, are well prepared for their next steps, and benefit from skilled teaching
• Leaders have created a positive professional culture, reduced staff workload, and prioritise professional learning
• Governors understand their strategic role and provide effective support and challenge

Areas for Improvement

• Some pupils who join the school with larger gaps in early reading and writing do not receive precise enough support, particularly with phonics
• Disadvantaged pupils attend slightly less well than their peers, and strategies to improve this need to be embedded further
• For a few pupils with gaps in basic skills for reading or writing, support is not as specific as it should be
• Adaptations for disadvantaged pupils are not as well developed as they are for pupils with SEND
• Governors' understanding of the academic needs of the most vulnerable pupils is not as well developed as it could be
• Leaders need to sharpen their analysis to focus more precisely on the needs of some groups of pupils

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 The Willink School attended 91.9% of sessions (the national figure for secondary schools was 91.6%). 20.7% 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, 5.5% of pupils at The Willink School were suspended at least once (nationally 7.3%). 2 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 The Willink School had 15.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for secondary schools was 16.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 13.4% 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, 16.3% of pupils at The Willink School were on SEN support (nationally 14.1%) and 4.6% 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 2025–26 The Willink School received £7,934 and spent £7,893 for each of its 1,205 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £608,000 (£504 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 Reading · West Berkshire local authority: places and applications

What is The Willink School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for The Willink School is Expected standard, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was The Willink School last inspected by Ofsted?

The Willink School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does The Willink School have?

The Willink School has 1,205 pupils on roll.

What age range does The Willink School cover?

The Willink School for pupils aged 11 to 18.

What are The Willink School's GCSE results?

In 2026 its average Attainment 8 score was 55.8, and 64% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in both English and maths GCSE.

Where is The Willink School?

The Willink School is at School Lane, Burghfield Common, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 3XJ.