The Willows Primary School, Ipswich
The Willows Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Ipswich, part of Orwell Multi Academy Trust. It was rated Requires improvement at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in February 2024. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 51st-highest of the 55 schools in Ipswich with published results, and 13,797th of 14,452 across England. It was 74% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Requires improvement (2024)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- Below England average
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 81 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Suffolk (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
The Willows Primary School in detail
The Willows Primary School in its own words
In its own words: "Please use the tabs in the blue box to explore this section further."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 54% of Year 6 pupils at The Willows Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 50% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 75% and 72% in Suffolk and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 52% in reading and 43% in maths in 2024.
Getting a place at The Willows Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 19 families put The Willows Primary School as their first choice and 35 named it as one of their preferences, for 20 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. Every family who put it first was offered a place there for 2026 entry.
Admissions history and your chances at The Willows Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to The Willows Primary School are St Mark's Catholic Primary School (0.4 miles); Halifax Primary School (0.5 miles, Good, 84% reading, 82% maths); Gusford Community Primary School (0.6 miles, Requires improvement, 65% reading, 65% maths); and The Oaks Primary School (0.6 miles, Outstanding, 72% reading, 82% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than The Willows Primary School.
St Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolHalifax Primary SchoolGusford Community Primary SchoolThe Oaks Primary School
The trust
The Willows Primary School is one of 7 schools run by Orwell Multi Academy Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 59% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
60.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well above the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 48 pupils (18.5%) received SEN support and 26 (10%) had an education, health and care plan, against 16.2% and 4.6% at the average state school. The most common need among them is a specific learning difficulty such as dyslexia.
The Willows Primary School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs.
Staffing
The Willows Primary School had 25 teachers in 2026, one for every 12 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Ipswich Rail Station, about 0.9 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Magdalene Close (adjacent), 160 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood The Willows Primary School stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 187 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, criminal damage and arson and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Suffolk (32), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, The Willows Primary School issued 35 suspensions, 11.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and 2 permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to The Willows Primary School are Chantry Academy (0.3 miles) and Stoke High School - Ormiston Academy (0.8 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE multi-academy trust performance data; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; DfE school workforce census; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime; DfE exclusions statistics
Location
Every family who put it first was offered a place for 2026 entry, so distance did not limit places that year.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 2 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
The Willows has made real improvements to behaviour and attendance, creating calm classrooms where pupils are engaged and focused. The school prioritises reading with a wide range of interesting books, and provides strong support for pupils with additional needs through tailored strategies and technology. Staff are working hard to build pupil independence and confidence in their learning.
Key Strengths
- Reading is a strength with many interesting books of varying difficulty available to pupils
- Behaviour across the school has improved substantially with calm, focused classrooms
- Attendance levels have significantly improved through comprehensive family support
- Increased use of technology and adapted strategies to help pupils with SEND
- Playground behaviour improved through adult-led games teaching turn-taking and coping skills
Areas for Improvement
- Improvements in teaching reading, writing and mathematics have not yet resulted in more pupils reaching expected standards at end of key stage 2 and in Year 1 phonics screening
- Inconsistent implementation of support strategies and adaptations for pupils with SEND across the school
- Some pupils still overly reliant on adult reassurance before moving to further tasks
- Curriculum redesign beyond English and mathematics not yet complete across all national curriculum subjects
- Persistent absenteeism still needs to be reduced further
The Willows Primary School is making progress to improve under new permanent leadership, but some aspects still need further development. The school has strengthened support for pupils with SEND and improved behaviour, though teaching improvements have not yet resulted in stronger outcomes in reading, writing and mathematics.
At a Glance
60.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 54% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 43% to 50% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 39% to 50% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
22.2
Avg class size
22.5
Infant (KS1)
21.0
KS2
6
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with The Willows Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near The Willows Primary School.
- LEAPS Suffolk580m away · Not yet graded
- Discover and Play Club - The Oaks, Ipswich910m away · Not yet graded
- Premier Education Childcare - Halifax Primary School950m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
The Willows Primary School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Suffolk's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to The Willows Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. The Willows Primary School is in Suffolk; for families living there:
Apply to Suffolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 1
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Your chances of a place at The Willows Primary School
Will you get a place at The Willows Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against The Willows Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for The Willows Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to The Willows Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Suffolk, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at The Willows Primary School for 2017 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Suffolk got their first choice, and how often appeals there succeed.
- The nearest state schools to your home, with Ofsted rating, demand and last distance offered where published.
- Key dates for September 2027 entry and how to apply.
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Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
74%
Available places
310 pupils
420 places
110 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Ipswich
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Ipswich
Across Suffolk council
Places available
8,806
Applications
6,492
Got 1st preference
94.9%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Suffolk council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(4)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
48
SEN Support
26
EHC Plans
28.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
The Willows Primary School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
259
Total Pupils
120
Boys
139
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
25
Teachers
10.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£49,220
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£6,096
Per pupil
£2240k
Total funding
£255k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
7.0%
Overall absence
22.0%
Persistent absence
314
Enrolments
Absence trend
Source: DfE pupil absence statistics. Persistent absence = pupils missing 10%+ sessions.
Secondary Schools Nearby
Secondary schools pupils are likely to move to
The Willows Primary School
Questions parents ask about The Willows Primary School
What are SATs results like at The Willows Primary School?
Of the pupils at The Willows Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 54% reached the expected standard in reading and 50% did so in maths.
What is The Willows Primary School's Ofsted rating?
The Willows Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in February 2024, it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for The Willows Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When The Willows Primary School is oversubscribed, Suffolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at The Willows Primary School?
The Willows Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 74% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at The Willows Primary School?
Classes at The Willows Primary School average 22.2 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to The Willows Primary School?
The Willows Primary School has around 259 pupils on roll. 61% are eligible for free school meals.
Does The Willows Primary School have specialist SEN provision?
The Willows Primary School provides for pupils with speech, language and communication needs.
What is attendance like at The Willows Primary School?
7% of sessions were missed at The Willows Primary School in 2024/25. 22% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to The Willows Primary School?
Apply through Suffolk's coordinated admissions process, naming The Willows Primary School on your application. Applications for Reception places starting in September 2027 close on Friday 15 January 2027, and offers are made on Friday 16 April 2027.
Does The Willows Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 3 out-of-school clubs within a kilometre of The Willows Primary School: LEAPS Suffolk (580m away, registered, not yet graded), Discover and Play Club - The Oaks, Ipswich (910m away, registered, not yet graded) and Premier Education Childcare - Halifax Primary School (950m away, registered, not yet graded). The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near The Willows Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 1 serious and 5 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 1 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Suffolk is 4 (the median across 365 schools, same distance and years).
Where is The Willows Primary School?
The Willows Primary School is at Downing Close, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP2 9ER.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)