Willow Green Academy

Willow Green Academy continues to be classified as a good school following its ungraded inspection, with evidence suggesting it could perform outstandingly if a graded inspection were to occur. The school emphasizes a strong sense of community, with pupils feeling happy, safe, and proud to be part of an inclusive environment. While pupils achieve well across the curriculum, they are particularly supported in their reading skills, which starts from early years and is further bolstered by a comprehensive reading culture in the school.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy, safe, and proud to be part of the school.
• Strong emphasis on reading with expert phonics instruction.
• Curriculum is precisely designed to connect knowledge across subjects.
• High attendance at clubs, trips, and visits, including for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders collaborate effectively to support continuous improvement.

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 Willow Green Academy attended 95.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 9.9% 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, 2.6% of pupils at Willow Green Academy 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 Willow Green Academy had 23.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 41.2% 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, 16.2% of pupils at Willow Green Academy were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.9% 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 2024–25 Willow Green Academy received £6,724 and spent £6,549 for each of its 219 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £311,000 (£1,421 per pupil).

Across all 62 schools of Delta Academies Trust, income was £7,459 and spending £7,562 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 Knottingley · Wakefield local authority: places and applications

Willow Green Academy is part of Delta Academies Trust, which runs 62 schools. The nearest others:

• The Vale Primary Academy Knottingley
• Simpson's Lane Academy Knottingley
• England Lane Academy Knottingley
• De Lacy Academy Knottingley
• Green Lane Primary Academy Leeds
• Garforth Academy Leeds
• East Garforth Primary Academy Leeds
• Highfields Primary Academy Doncaster
• Park View Primary Academy Leeds
• Goldthorpe Primary Academy Rotherham

What is Willow Green Academy's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willow Green Academy is Good, from an inspection in October 2023.

When was Willow Green Academy last inspected by Ofsted?

Willow Green Academy was last inspected in October 2023.

How many pupils does Willow Green Academy have?

Willow Green Academy has 228 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willow Green Academy cover?

Willow Green Academy for pupils aged 3 to 11.

What are Willow Green Academy's SATs (KS2) results?

In 2025, 63% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willow Green Academy?

Willow Green Academy is at Hampden Close, Knottingley, WF11 8PT.