Willow Bank Infant School, Reading
Willow Bank Infant School is a primary school for pupils aged 5 to 7 in Reading, part of Orchard Learning Alliance. It was 86% full in 2025.
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Wokingham (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willow Bank Infant School in detail
Willow Bank Infant School in its own words
In its own words: "At Willow Bank Infant School we strive for all of our children to become exceptional lifelong learners. We support all children to reach their full potential by inspiring curiosity, resilience and a love of learning. We are proud of our school values which underpin everything we teach at Willow Bank Infant School. They are:"
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include football, gymnastics, dance and choir.
The school runs a breakfast club from 7:30am and after-school care, from £9.00 per session.
Coming up: an open day on Wednesday 4 November 2026, an open day on Wednesday 11 November 2026, an open day on Friday 13 November 2026 and an open day on Wednesday 18 November 2026 at 3.30pm. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Wokingham
Vision and values (school website)Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Getting a place at Willow Bank Infant School
For September 2026 entry, 46 families put Willow Bank Infant School as their first choice and 140 named it as one of their preferences, for 60 places offered. It had fewer first-choice applications than places. 1 family who put it first was not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Willow Bank Infant School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Willow Bank Infant School are Willow Bank Junior School (under 0.1 miles); St Dominic Savio Catholic Primary School (0.5 miles, Outstanding, 97% reading, 97% maths); Woodley CofE Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 76% reading, 78% maths); and Beechwood Primary School (0.7 miles, Requires improvement, 75% reading, 68% maths).
Willow Bank Junior SchoolSt Dominic Savio Catholic Primary SchoolWoodley CofE Primary SchoolBeechwood Primary School
The trust
Willow Bank Infant School is one of 10 schools run by Orchard Learning Alliance, an academy trust.
Who goes there
3.9% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 8 pupils (5.3%) received SEN support and 6 (3.9%) 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 autism.
Staffing
Willow Bank Infant School had 11 teachers in 2026, one for every 14 pupils: more teachers per pupil than a typical primary school, at about one for every 20.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Earley Rail Station, about 1.7 miles away in a straight line.
5 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brecon Road Parade (adjacent), 240 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Willow Bank Infant School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Willow Bank Infant School are Waingels (0.4 miles) and The Bulmershe School (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; 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
Location
Our estimate from how close the nearest similar schools are and how oversubscribed the council's schools are. It is not a published boundary.
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Willow Bank Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Willow Bank Infant School (URN 109889), it was rated Good in March 2012.
At a Glance
3.9%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
25.6
Avg class size
25.6
Infant (KS1)
5
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Willow Bank Infant School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Willow Bank Infant School.
- Getactive@willowbankinfantsAt the school · Not yet graded
- Junior Adventures Group @ Willow Bank RG5At the school · Not yet graded
- GetActive@WoodleyCofE970m away · Not yet graded
Term dates
Willow Bank Infant School is an academy, so it sets its own term dates: check the school's website. As a guide, see Wokingham's term dates for its community schools.
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Willow Bank Infant School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willow Bank Infant School is in Wokingham; for families living there:
Apply to Wokingham 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
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
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, 2 serious and 4 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle.
3 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 Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 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 Willow Bank Infant School
Will you get a place at Willow Bank Infant School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Willow Bank Infant School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Willow Bank Infant School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Willow Bank Infant School.
- Wokingham publishes last distance offered figures, but none for Willow Bank Infant School that we hold, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Willow Bank Infant School for 2026 entry.
- How many families in Wokingham 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
86%
Available places
155 pupils
180 places
25 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Reading
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Reading
Across Wokingham council
Places available
2,172
Applications
1,832
Got 1st preference
87.5%
Got preferred school
98.0%
All primary applications across Wokingham council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
8
SEN Support
6
EHC Plans
9.2%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
152
Total Pupils
83
Boys
69
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
11
Teachers
13.8:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£50,190
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Willow Bank Infant School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 109889). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
4.3%
Overall absence
7.4%
Persistent absence
108
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
Willow Bank Infant School
Questions parents ask about Willow Bank Infant School
What is Willow Bank Infant School's Ofsted rating?
Willow Bank Infant School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Willow Bank Infant School (URN 109889), it was rated Good in March 2012.
What is the catchment area for Willow Bank Infant School?
No fixed boundary. When Willow Bank Infant School is oversubscribed, Wokingham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Willow Bank Infant School?
Willow Bank Infant School was not full in 2025: it ran at 86% of its 180 places.
How big are the classes at Willow Bank Infant School?
Classes at Willow Bank Infant School average 25.6 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Willow Bank Infant School?
Willow Bank Infant School has around 152 pupils on roll. 4% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Willow Bank Infant School?
Apply through Wokingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Willow Bank Infant 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 Willow Bank Infant School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists 2 out-of-school clubs at the school: Getactive@willowbankinfants (registered, not yet graded) and Junior Adventures Group @ Willow Bank RG5 (registered, not yet graded). There is another within a kilometre. The school may also run its own clubs, which don't have to register with Ofsted.
How many road collisions happen near Willow Bank Infant 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, 2 serious and 4 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on a bicycle. 3 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 Wokingham is 7 (the median across 85 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willow Bank Infant School?
Willow Bank Infant School is at Duffield Road, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 4RW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)