Willowdown Primary School

Willowdown Primary School is performing well overall. Safeguarding standards are met, and pupils are described as thriving in a welcoming, learning-focused culture where they feel safe and behaviour is calm and purposeful. The school has made significant and rapid improvements after a period of leadership and staffing instability, with strong support from the Futura Learning Partnership Trust and a new headteacher and governing body in place since the previous inspection. Inclusion and leadership and governance are particular strengths. Leaders know pupils as individuals, support families well, and make precise provision for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils. The curriculum is well sequenced, teaching is improving, and pupils’ outcomes are now close to national averages in several areas, with writing above average. Early years and personal development are also effective, and pupils benefit from a broad range of opportunities and leadership roles. The main concerns are attendance and the need to sustain improvement. Persistent absence remains a challenge and published absence rates have been above national averages, although leaders are taking effective action and overall attendance is now closer to average. Leaders also need to embed and build on the rapid improvements to achievement, curriculum and teaching so that all pupils consistently benefit, and some pupils are still catching up following previous weaknesses in teaching.

Strengths

• Leaders know pupils individually and shape inclusion provision precisely, including for pupils with SEND and disadvantaged pupils.
• The inclusion team builds trusting relationships with families and works well with early help agencies.
• Leaders place disadvantaged pupils at the centre of their work and use pupil premium funding effectively.
• The school has made rapid improvements after leadership and staffing instability, with accurate improvement planning.
• Trust support is robust and has contributed to better experiences and support for disadvantaged pupils.
• Staff value the professional learning programme and leaders’ consideration for workload and wellbeing.
• Pupils feel safe and are well cared for in a warm, predictable environment.
• Behaviour systems are robust and applied consistently, so classrooms and social times are calm and focused.
• The curriculum is well sequenced, builds progressively and gives pupils regular opportunities to revisit important content.
• Assessment is used effectively to identify gaps and adapt teaching promptly.
• Early years provides a smooth start, prioritises reading and phonics, and develops children’s language and vocabulary well.
• Personal development is broad, including British values, wellbeing, clubs and pupil leadership roles.

Areas for Improvement

• Persistent absence remains a significant challenge and published persistent absence rates have been above national averages.
• Overall absence has been above national averages in published data, although leaders are taking effective action to improve attendance.
• Leaders need to embed and sustain the rapid improvements to achievement, curriculum and teaching so all pupils benefit consistently over time.
• Some pupils are still catching up and gaps remain in reading, writing and mathematics following previous weaknesses in teaching.

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 Willowdown Primary School attended 93.0% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.2% 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, 2.0% of pupils at Willowdown 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 Willowdown Primary School had 27.6 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 34.6% 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, 12.7% of pupils at Willowdown Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 1.7% 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 Willowdown Primary School received £7,099 and spent £7,120 for each of its 335 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £109,000 (£327 per pupil).

Across all 26 schools of Futura Learning Partnership, income was £7,630 and spending £7,598 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 Bridgwater · Somerset local authority: places and applications

Willowdown Primary School is part of Futura Learning Partnership, which runs 26 schools. The nearest others:

• Chilton Trinity School Bridgwater
• Northgate Primary School Bridgwater
• Puriton Primary School Bridgwater
• Westover Green Community School and Autism Centre Bridgwater
• Woolavington Village Primary School Bridgwater
• Chestnut Park Primary Yatton
• Mary Elton Primary School North Somerset
• Yeo Moor Primary School Clevedon
• St Nicholas Chantry Church of England Primary School Clevedon
• All Saints Church of England Primary School Clevedon

What is Willowdown Primary School's Ofsted rating?

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

When was Willowdown Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willowdown Primary School was last inspected in February 2026.

How many pupils does Willowdown Primary School have?

Willowdown Primary School has 361 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willowdown Primary School cover?

Willowdown Primary School for pupils aged 2 to 11.

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

In 2025, 66% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willowdown Primary School?

Willowdown Primary School is at Kings Drive, Bridgwater, TA6 4FU.