Willow Primary School

Willow Primary School is a larger-than-average primary school within the Marish Academy Trust, serving a community where pupils enter with language and communication skills that are often limited. The school has been judged as providing a strong standard of education overall, with inclusion and personal development and wellbeing both identified as particular strengths. Inclusion is at the heart of the school's work, and leaders ensure that staff have the knowledge and training to identify and support pupils with SEND effectively. Disadvantaged pupils achieve very well, with outcomes in line with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally, and the school's rigorous monitoring and use of pupil premium funding are key factors in this success. Pupils behave impeccably and attendance is close to or above national figures for most groups, though persistent absence has consistently been too high and remains a focus for improvement. The curriculum is broad, well-sequenced and ambitious, and teaching is generally strong, particularly in reading, writing and mathematics, where outcomes by the end of Year 6 are above national averages. However, in a few wider curriculum subjects, the quality of pupils' work and responses is not consistently high, and lesson activities could be refined further to help pupils build securely on prior learning. Early years provision is well led and ensures children get off to a positive start, with a strong emphasis on communication, language and early reading. Leadership and governance are effective, with leaders demonstrating a clear strategic direction and those responsible for governance providing appropriate support and challenge. Staff morale is positive, and parents report that leaders are approachable. The inspection identified two main next steps: to further reduce persistent absence and to ensure that lesson activities across the wider curriculum enable all pupils to build on prior learning and produce consistently high-quality work. Safeguarding standards are met.

Strengths

• Inclusion is at the heart of the school's work, with effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Disadvantaged pupils achieve very well, with outcomes in line with non-disadvantaged pupils nationally.
• Personal development and wellbeing provision is rich and diverse, going beyond statutory requirements.
• Pupils behave impeccably well in lessons and around the school.
• Pupils achieve well overall, with outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics above national averages.
• The curriculum is broad, well-sequenced and ambitious, rooted in the school's context.
• Early years provision is well led, ensuring children get off to a positive start, especially in language and communication.
• Leadership and governance are effective, with a clear strategic direction and appropriate support and challenge.
• Staff morale is positive, and leaders manage workload sensitively.
• Safeguarding standards are met.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence is consistently too high and remains a concern.
• In a few wider curriculum subjects, the quality of pupils' work and responses is not consistently high.
• Lesson activities in the wider curriculum could be refined to provide more opportunities for pupils to apply and build on prior learning.

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 Primary School attended 94.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 16.1% 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, 0.7% of pupils at Willow 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 Willow Primary School had 20.9 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 35.9% 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, 18.9% of pupils at Willow Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 4.0% 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 Primary School received £6,344 and spent £6,725 for each of its 433 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £338,000 (£781 per pupil).

Across all 2 schools of Marish Academy Trust, income was £7,852 and spending £7,815 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 Slough · Slough local authority: places and applications

Willow Primary School is part of Marish Academy Trust, which runs 3 schools. The nearest others:

• Marish Primary School Slough
• Pippins Primary School Colnbrook

What is Willow Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Willow Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willow Primary School was last inspected in June 2026.

How many pupils does Willow Primary School have?

Willow Primary School has 454 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willow Primary School cover?

Willow Primary School for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 78% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willow Primary School?

Willow Primary School is at Fernside Off Wexham Rd, Slough, Berkshire, SL2 5FF.