Willoughby Primary School

Willoughby Primary School is demonstrating a strong standard of education, significantly improving its curriculum and teaching practices, which reflect positively on student achievement. The school's safeguarding measures are also robust, creating a safe and open environment for learning. With a unique focus on inclusivity, leaders have instituted effective systems to assess and address the individual needs of students, ensuring that pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, are supported well. However, there are areas for enhancement, particularly in refining the curriculum to more precisely define knowledge benchmarks for different year groups.

Strengths

• Effective safeguarding culture that prioritizes pupil safety
• Continuous improvements in curriculum and teaching methods
• High attendance rates with low persistent absence
• Strong partnerships with parents and community
• Inclusive environment accommodating diverse pupil needs
• Effective early years provision that prepares children well
• Well-structured personal development curriculum

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent clarity in curriculum expectations for different year groups
• Occasional failure to adapt teaching based on pupil understanding
• Inadequate identification of misconceptions in pupils' knowledge

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 Willoughby Primary School attended 95.9% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 5.6% 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 Willoughby 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 Willoughby Primary School had 13.4 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 27.9% 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, 21.3% of pupils at Willoughby Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.3% 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 Willoughby Primary School received £10,944 and spent £12,026 for each of its 47 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £23,000 (£486 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 Loughborough · Nottinghamshire local authority: places and applications

What is Willoughby Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willoughby Primary School is Expected standard, from an inspection in May 2026.

When was Willoughby Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willoughby Primary School was last inspected in May 2026.

How many pupils does Willoughby Primary School have?

Willoughby Primary School has 47 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willoughby Primary School cover?

Willoughby Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

Where is Willoughby Primary School?

Willoughby Primary School is at Church Lane, Willoughby-on-the-Wolds, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE12 6SS.