Willow Bank Junior School, Reading
Willow Bank Junior School is a primary school for pupils aged 7 to 11 in Reading, part of Orchard Learning Alliance. It was 99% full in 2025.
- Capacity
- 99% full
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willow Bank Junior School in detail
Willow Bank Junior School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "Welcome to Willow Bank Junior School. It is our privilege to teach the wonderful children who come to our school, and we aim to provide a rich learning experience which gives the children the opportunity to develop their strengths and skills in a wide range of ways."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include tennis, gymnastics, running, drama and sewing.
Coming up: an open day on Monday 9 November 2026 at 9.30am, an open day on Monday 23 November 2026 at 9.30am and an open day on Monday 7 December 2026 at 9.30am. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
All school open days in Wokingham
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
Willow Bank Junior School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 109890), 86% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
Getting a place at Willow Bank Junior School
Across Wokingham, 88% of families were offered their first-choice primary school for 2026 entry, and 98% were offered one of the schools they named.
In 2026, families in Wokingham lodged 59 appeals against primary school offers; 38 reached a hearing and 2 succeeded (5.3% of those heard).
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Willow Bank Junior School are Willow Bank Infant 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 Infant SchoolSt Dominic Savio Catholic Primary SchoolWoodley CofE Primary SchoolBeechwood Primary School
The trust
Willow Bank Junior School is one of 10 schools run by Orchard Learning Alliance, an academy trust.
Who goes there
12.8% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, well below the average state school (25%), according to the 2026 school census.
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 Junior 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 Junior School are Waingels (0.4 miles) and The Bulmershe School (1.1 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data; GIAS establishment links; DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; 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 Junior School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Willow Bank Junior School (URN 109890), it was rated Good in September 2012.
At a Glance
12.8%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
29.1
Avg class size
29.1
KS2
7
Total classes
2025/26 academic year
Results at Willow Bank Junior School before it took its current form in 2025 (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25Published under the school's previous registration (URN 109890). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 86% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 70% to 83% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 75% to 80% (2024 to 2025).
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Keep up with Willow Bank Junior School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Willow Bank Junior 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 Junior 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 Junior School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willow Bank Junior 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
Capacity & Demand
School Occupancy
99%
Near capacity
239 pupils
240 places
1 spare place 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.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
27
SEN Support
14
EHC Plans
17.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
235
Total Pupils
125
Boys
110
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
19.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,496
Mean salary
2026 data
Absence at Willow Bank Junior School before it took its current form in 20252024/25
Published under the school's previous registration (URN 109890). There are no figures for it in its current form yet, so these are shown separately.
4.0%
Overall absence
6.1%
Persistent absence
244
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 Junior School
Questions parents ask about Willow Bank Junior School
Are there exam results for Willow Bank Junior School?
Willow Bank Junior School has no published results of its own yet. Before it took its current form in 2025, under its previous registration (URN 109890), 86% of its Year 6 pupils reached the expected standard in reading and 83% in maths in the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments.
What is Willow Bank Junior School's Ofsted rating?
Willow Bank Junior School has not been inspected by Ofsted since it took its current form in April 2025. Before that, as Willow Bank Junior School (URN 109890), it was rated Good in September 2012.
What is the catchment area for Willow Bank Junior School?
No fixed boundary. When Willow Bank Junior 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 Junior School?
Willow Bank Junior School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Willow Bank Junior School?
Classes at Willow Bank Junior School average 29.1 pupils (2025/26).
How many pupils go to Willow Bank Junior School?
Willow Bank Junior School has around 235 pupils on roll. 13% are eligible for free school meals.
How do I apply to Willow Bank Junior School?
Apply through Wokingham's coordinated admissions process, naming Willow Bank Junior School on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
Does Willow Bank Junior 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 Junior 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 Junior School?
Willow Bank Junior School is at Duffield Road, Woodley, Reading, Berkshire, RG5 4RW.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)