Willowbank Primary School

Willowbank Primary is performing well overall, earning a good rating across all key areas including quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management. As the first inspection since its conversion to an academy, the school has established a welcoming and inclusive environment where pupils feel safe and valued. Leaders have high expectations for all students, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and provide a broad curriculum that fosters positive attitudes to learning.

Strengths

• High expectations for pupil behaviour and conduct.
• Effective support for pupils with SEND.
• Strong emphasis on reading with diverse text opportunities.
• Positive school culture promoting inclusivity.
• Engaging curriculum in mathematics and early years.
• Valuable personal development opportunities for pupils.

Areas for Improvement

• Inconsistent checks on pupil understanding across some subjects.

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 Willowbank Primary School attended 94.7% of sessions (the national figure for primary schools was 94.8%). 13.1% 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, 2.8% of pupils at Willowbank 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 Willowbank Primary School had 27.4 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, 17.4% of pupils at Willowbank Primary School were on SEN support (nationally 15.4%) and 5.4% 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 Willowbank Primary School received £6,410 and spent £6,469 for each of its 247 pupils. It ended the year with reserves of £68,000 (£277 per pupil).

Across all 29 schools of The First Federation Trust, income was £7,461 and spending £7,535 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 Cullompton · Devon local authority: places and applications

Willowbank Primary School is part of The First Federation Trust, which runs 29 schools. The nearest others:

• Rockbeare Church of England Primary School and Pre-School Exeter
• Lady Seaward's Church of England Primary School Exeter
• Sidmouth Church of England Primary School Sidmouth
• Brixington Primary Academy Exmouth
• Colyton Primary Academy Colyton
• Membury Primary Academy Axminster
• Musbury Primary School Axminster
• St Andrew's CofE Primary Academy Axminster
• Axminster Community Primary Academy Axminster
• Gatehouse Primary Academy Dawlish

What is Willowbank Primary School's Ofsted rating?

The latest Ofsted rating for Willowbank Primary School is Good, from an inspection in March 2023.

When was Willowbank Primary School last inspected by Ofsted?

Willowbank Primary School was last inspected in March 2023.

How many pupils does Willowbank Primary School have?

Willowbank Primary School has 241 pupils on roll.

What age range does Willowbank Primary School cover?

Willowbank Primary School for pupils aged 4 to 11.

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

In 2025, 56% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths.

Where is Willowbank Primary School?

Willowbank Primary School is at Manitoba Gardens, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 1EZ.