Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery

Willow Brook Primary School is performing well overall, achieving a good rating across all inspected areas. The school is integrated into its local community, providing a nurturing environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Teaching staff work diligently to ensure that the curriculum is engaging, helping pupils to enjoy learning and develop a strong sense of achievement. Notably, the recent curricular improvements have made lessons more interesting and relevant, fostering better learning outcomes and greater retention of knowledge among students.

Strengths

• Pupils feel happy and safe due to caring and supportive adults.
• The revised curriculum helps pupils learn and enjoy their learning.
• Positive behaviour creates a calm and purposeful school environment.
• Support for special educational needs is effectively implemented.
• Reading is prioritized, leading to confident and fluent learners.
• Leaders manage staff workload effectively and provide valuable training.

Areas for Improvement

• Some curricular changes are still in early stages and need further support.
• Gaps in knowledge remain for some pupils from historic weaknesses.
• Opportunities for extra-curricular activities and wider experiences are limited.

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 Brook Primary School and Nursery attended 92.3% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 21.6% 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, 7.2% of pupils at Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery were suspended at least once (nationally 1.1%). One pupil was 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 Brook Primary School and Nursery had 16.8 pupils for each teacher (the national figure for primary schools was 20.7). Of its teachers in 2024–25, 39.3% 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, 22.6% of pupils at Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 3.8% 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 Brook Primary School and Nursery received £8,594 and spent £8,619 for each of its 176 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £79,000 (£449 per pupil).

Across all 45 schools of The Kemnal Academies Trust, income was £8,501 and spending £8,452 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 Colchester · Essex local authority: places and applications

Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery is part of The Kemnal Academies Trust, which runs 45 schools. The nearest others:

• Heybridge Primary School Maldon
• Maldon Primary School Maldon
• Hylands School Chelmsford
• Stapleford Abbotts Primary Academy Romford
• Napier Community Primary and Nursery Academy Gillingham
• Debden Park High School Loughton
• Rainham School for Girls Gillingham
• Salmestone Primary School Margate
• Drapers Mills Primary Academy Margate
• Northdown Primary School Margate

What is Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery is Good, from an inspection in January 2023.

When was Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery last inspected by Ofsted?

Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery was last inspected in January 2023.

How many pupils does Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery have?

Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery has 186 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery cover?

Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery for pupils aged 3 to 11.

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

In 2025, 50% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery?

Willow Brook Primary School and Nursery is at Barnardiston Road, Colchester, Essex, CO4 0DT.