The Willows Primary School
| Type | Primary / Academy converter |
| Age Range | 3-11 |
| Religion | Does not apply |
| Address | Downing Close Ipswich Suffolk IP2 9ER |
| Phone | 01473683178 |
| Reference Number | 144216 |
The Willows Primary School, inspected in February 2024, is currently rated as requiring improvement overall. The school has undergone significant leadership changes since its previous inspection, and while there are positive aspects in personal development and early years provision, the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership are areas of concern. Although pupils enjoy the school and engage with a broad curriculum, they do not achieve their potential, particularly in mathematics and for those with SEND. Current initiatives to improve the school's performance have begun, but their effectiveness is still in development.
General Makeup
| Number of pupils | 306 |
| Boy/Girl ratio |
Boys: 47.71%
Girls: 52.29% |
| Percentage of students eligible for free school meals | 55.2% |
| Percentage of students where English is not their first language | 22.9% |
Class Sizes
| Average size of one teacher classes | 21.9 |
| Average size of Key Stage 1 classes taught by one teacher | 21.6 |
| Average size of Key Stage 2 classes taught by one teacher | 22.1 |
Year Groups
| Year | Boys | Girls | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 22 | 19 | 41 |
| 2 | 18 | 25 | 43 |
| 3 | 23 | 24 | 47 |
| 4 | 17 | 31 | 48 |
| 5 | 23 | 25 | 48 |
| 6 | 32 | 23 | 55 |
Ethnicities
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| White, British | 60.8% |
| Mixed, Other | 8.5% |
| White, Other | 6.9% |
| African | 5.9% |
| White & Black (African) | 3.9% |
| Unclassified | 3.3% |
| White & Black (Caribbean) | 2.3% |
| White & Asian | 1% |
| Caribbean | 1% |
| Indian | 0.7% |
| Pakistani | 0.3% |
| Overall Ofsted Rating | Requires Improvement |
| > Quality of education | Requires Improvement |
| > Behaviour & Attitude | Requires Improvement |
| > Personal Development | Good |
| > Leadership & Management | Requires Improvement |
| > Early Years Provision | Good |
| Last Report Date | 13 Feb 2024 |
| Date | Report |
|---|---|
| 09 Jan 2025 | Monitoring visit |
| 13 Feb 2024 | School inspection: |
| 29 Jan 2020 | School inspection: |
| 06 Apr 2017 | Academy conversion letter |
| 12 Mar 2015 | Monitoring visit |
| Previously as The Willows Primary School | |
| 12 Mar 2015 | Monitoring visit |
| 29 Jan 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 29 Jan 2013 | Full inspection: |
| 17 Jun 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 17 Jun 2010 | Full inspection: |
| 28 Feb 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 28 Feb 2007 | Full inspection: |
| 29 Apr 2002 | Full inspection |
| 29 Apr 2002 | Full inspection |
Strengths
- Pupils have positive relationships with staff and feel safe.
- The early years curriculum effectively matches children's abilities.
- Pupils benefit from a variety of enriching extracurricular activities.
- Staff are well trained in phonics and reading instruction.
- Pupils are encouraged to take on leadership roles and participate in extracurricular clubs.
Areas for Improvement
- Pupils do not achieve well in some subjects, including mathematics.
- Teachers do not always adjust activities to support pupils with SEND effectively.
- Certain pupils display disrespectful behaviour and do not consistently meet behaviour expectations.
- Some pupils have high absence rates, impacting their learning.
How many students meet the standards
| Reading, Writing & Maths | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils meeting the expected standard | 35% | ||
| Pupils meeting a higher standard | 6% |
Average Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
| Subject | School | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | 100 | ||
| Maths | 100 |
Progress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
| Metric | School Score | Percentile (local) | Percentile (nationwide) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading | -3.3 | ||
| Writing | -5.3 | ||
| Maths | -4.6 |
How many students meet the standards
Sample
UnlockAverage Scaled Score
Results are converted into scaled scores to allow accurate comparisons of performance over time even if the difficulty of the test varies over time. Scaled scores range from 80 to 120.
Sample
UnlockProgress Scores
A progress score is a way to measure how well a student progressed in comparison to other students of a similar starting ability. A score of zero means would mean that a student made the same progress as others that had a similar starting a ability. A positive score would mean that the student made more progress than other students of similar starting ability. The scores below are for the whole school so is the average progress score across all students.
Sample
UnlockUnlock Premium
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| Number of Applications | Number of Offers | |
| First Preference | ||
| Second Preference | 12 | 0 |
| Third Preference | 8 | 0 |
| From another Local Authority | 0 | 0 |
Previous Years
Sample
Unlock| Name | Distance |
|
St Mark's Catholic Primary School
Stone Lodge Lane West, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9HN |
0.43 miles |
|
Halifax Primary School
Prince of Wales Drive, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8PY |
0.53 miles |
|
Gusford Community Primary School
Sheldrake Drive, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9LQ |
0.58 miles |
|
The Oaks Primary School
Aster Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 0NR |
0.61 miles |
|
Sprites Primary Academy
Stonechat Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 0SA |
0.89 miles |
|
Hillside Primary School
Belstead Avenue, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8NU |
0.9 miles |
|
Ranelagh Primary School
Pauls Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 0AN |
1.03 miles |
|
St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich
Portman Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2AX |
1.41 miles |
|
Handford Hall Primary School
57 Gatacre Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 2LQ |
1.43 miles |
|
Cliff Lane Primary School
Cliff Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 0PJ |
1.71 miles |
|
Springfield Infant School and Nursery
11 Wesley Way, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 4PP |
1.78 miles |
|
St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich
Bolton Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2BT |
1.8 miles |
|
Springfield Junior School
Kitchener Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 4DT |
1.83 miles |
|
Sproughton Church of England Primary School
Church Lane, Sproughton, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3BB |
1.85 miles |
|
St Helen's Primary School
Woodbridge Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2LT |
1.87 miles |
|
Copdock Primary School
School Hill, Copdock, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3HY |
1.94 miles |
|
Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy
Raeburn Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 0EW |
1.97 miles |
|
Clifford Road Primary School & Nursery
Clifford Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1PJ |
2.16 miles |
|
Morland Church of England Primary School
Morland Road, Ipswich, IP3 0LH |
2.17 miles |
|
Rose Hill Primary
Derby Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8DL |
2.28 miles |
| Name | Distance |
|
St Joseph's College
Belstead Road, Ipswich, IP2 9DR |
0.25 miles |
|
Chantry Academy
Mallard Way, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9LR |
0.28 miles |
|
Stone Lodge Academy
Stone Lodge Lane West, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9HW |
0.36 miles |
|
Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy
Maidenhall Approach, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 8PL |
0.8 miles |
|
Belstead House Adult Education Centre
Sprites Lane, Ipswich, IP8 3NA |
1.06 miles |
|
The Bridge School
Sprites Lane, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3ND |
1.07 miles |
|
One Sixth Form College
Scrivener Drive, Pinewood, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP8 3SU |
1.07 miles |
|
Learning Support, Southern Area Education Office
St Andrew House, Ipswich, IP4 1LJ |
1.73 miles |
|
Suffolk New College
Rope Walk, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1LT |
1.74 miles |
|
Ipswich School
Henley Road, Ipswich, IP1 3SG |
1.85 miles |
|
Woodbridge Road Academy
50 Russet Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 2EB |
2.26 miles |
|
Westbourne Academy
Marlow Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5JN |
2.32 miles |
|
Ipswich Academy
Braziers Wood Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 0SP |
2.5 miles |
|
Sir Bobby Robson School
Lindbergh Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 9FA |
2.63 miles |
|
Thomas Wolsey Ormiston Academy
Defoe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 6SG |
2.84 miles |
|
Copleston High School
Copleston Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 5HD |
2.86 miles |
|
New Skill Centre
Wolsey House, 2-5 The Drift, Nacton Road, Ipswich, IP3 9QR |
2.89 miles |
|
Northgate High School
Sidegate Lane West, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 3DL |
3.02 miles |
|
Ormiston Endeavour Academy
Defoe Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 6SG |
3.07 miles |
|
St Alban's Catholic High School
Digby Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 3NJ |
3.33 miles |