Willowbrook Primary School

Willowbrook Primary School is an improving school that has been through a significant period of change, including joining the Acorn Education Trust and experiencing several leadership changes. The school is rated as meeting the expected standard for inclusion and personal development and wellbeing, but needs attention in achievement, attendance and behaviour, curriculum and teaching, early years, and leadership and governance. Outcomes for pupils have been low for some time, and there is too much variability in how well pupils learn the curriculum, with many having gaps in their knowledge, particularly in writing. However, new leaders have quickly identified these issues and, with considerable support from the trust, have begun to address them, leading to improvements in behaviour, early reading, and support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND.

Strengths

• Inclusive school with strong support for disadvantaged pupils and those with SEND
• Broad personal development and wellbeing programme, including visits and extracurricular activities
• Pupils feel safe and well cared for; behaviour is improving and suspensions have significantly reduced
• Effective safeguarding culture with thorough investigation of bullying concerns
• Staff are overwhelmingly positive about the direction of the school and feel well supported
• Trust provides considerable additional support and has a clear understanding of the school

Areas for Improvement

• Pupils have important gaps in their knowledge due to inconsistent curriculum delivery over time
• Many pupils have weaknesses in handwriting, spelling and punctuation
• Some pupils, including those with SEND, are regularly absent or late to school
• Early years curriculum is not consistently well delivered in all areas of learning
• Teachers' checks on learning do not always help pupils address historic gaps
• Leaders and governors have not ensured weaknesses were identified and quickly addressed in the past
• Pupils lack depth of knowledge about different beliefs, faiths and cultures

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 Willowbrook Primary School attended 93.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 18.6% 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, 7.4% of pupils at Willowbrook 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 Willowbrook Primary School had 11.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 30.3% 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, 28.2% of pupils at Willowbrook Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.9% 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 Willowbrook Primary School received £10,120 and spent £9,602 for each of its 95 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £99,000 (£1,038 per pupil).

Across all 21 schools of Acorn Education Trust, income was £8,177 and spending £8,032 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 Trowbridge · Wiltshire local authority: places and applications

Willowbrook Primary School is part of Acorn Education Trust, which runs 21 schools. The nearest others:

• The Clarendon Academy Trowbridge
• West Ashton Church of England Primary School Trowbridge
• Keevil CofE Primary School Trowbridge
• Dilton Marsh CofE Primary School Westbury
• Chapmanslade Church of England Primary School Westbury
• The Avenue Primary School and Children's Centre Warminster
• New Close Primary School Warminster
• Kingdown School Warminster
• St John's CofE School Warminster
• Rowde CofE Academy Devizes

What is Willowbrook Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willowbrook Primary School is Needs attention, from an inspection in July 2026.

When was Willowbrook Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willowbrook Primary School was last inspected in July 2026.

How many pupils does Willowbrook Primary School have?

Willowbrook Primary School has 85 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willowbrook Primary School cover?

Willowbrook Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 38% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willowbrook Primary School?

Willowbrook Primary School is at Broadcloth Lane, Trowbridge, Wiltshire, BA14 7HE.