Willowbank Primary School, Cullompton
Willowbank Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Cullompton, part of The First Federation Trust. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2023. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 8th-highest of the 8 schools in Cullompton with published results, and 11,866th of 14,452 across England. It was 59% full in 2025.
- SATs results
- Below England average
- Ofsted
- Good (2023)
- Demand
- Every first choice offered
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Devon (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Willowbank Primary School in detail
Willowbank Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a mid-sized primary school in Cullompton which became part of the First Federation Trust on 1st September 2018. The First Federation Trust is large multi-academy trust consisting of a diverse range of primary schools across Devon, Dorset and Plymouth."
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Saturday 21 November 2026 and an open day on Tuesday 24 November 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 68% of Year 6 pupils at Willowbank Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 62% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 77% and 73% in Devon and 77% and 75% across England.
Results were similar in 2024 (66% in reading, 61% in maths).
Getting a place at Willowbank Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 31 families put Willowbank Primary School as their first choice and 58 named it as one of their preferences, for 32 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 Willowbank Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Willowbank Primary School are St Andrew's Primary School (0.3 miles, Good, 84% reading, 81% maths); The Duchy School Bradninch (2.6 miles, Outstanding, 85% reading, 93% maths); Willand School (2.7 miles, Good, 78% reading, 83% maths); and Kentisbeare Church of England Primary School (3.3 miles, Good, 77% reading, 68% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Willowbank Primary School.
St Andrew's Primary SchoolThe Duchy School BradninchWilland SchoolKentisbeare Church of England Primary School
The trust
Willowbank Primary School is one of 29 schools run by The First Federation Trust, an academy trust.
Across the trust's primary schools, 57% of Year 6 pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths in 2024/25.
Who goes there
3.3% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Willowbank Primary School.
16 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Willowbank Primary School (s-bound), 70 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 64 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Devon (16), as is usual near a town centre.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Willowbank Primary School issued 19 suspensions, 7.7 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
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; 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 · 4 years agoOverall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Early Years
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2023 inspection.
Rated Good for
Quality of education, Behaviour & attitudes, Personal development, Leadership & management, Early years.
At a Glance
21.2%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
No
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Primary Performance (KS2)
Academic year 2024/25KS2 Results (% meeting expected standard)
Reading has remained stable at around 68% (2024 to 2025). Maths has remained stable at around 62% (2024 to 2025). Writing has remained stable at around 71% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
31.3
Avg class size
27.3
Infant (KS1)
35.3
KS2
6
Total classes
3 classes with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Latest from Willowbank Primary School
Willowbank Celebrations
2 Oct 2026
Willowbank Celebrations
18 Sep 2026
Willowbank Celebrations
11 Sep 2026
Willowbank Celebrations
10 Jul 2026
Willowbank Celebrations
19 Jun 2026
Willowbank Celebrations
12 Jun 2026
From Willowbank Primary School's website. School Signal is not affiliated with the school.
Social & online
Keep up with Willowbank Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Willowbank Primary School.
- Premier Wraparound @ WillowbankAt the school · Not yet graded
- Pjs Stay & Play After School Club470m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Willowbank Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willowbank Primary School is in Devon; for families living there:
- Devon's school travel policy: Free school transport
- How to apply: Apply for free school transport
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 20
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 on a bicycle.
6 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 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 Willowbank Primary School
Will you get a place at Willowbank Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Willowbank Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Willowbank Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Willowbank Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Devon, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Willowbank Primary School for 2019 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Devon 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
59%
Available places
249 pupils
420 places
171 spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Cullompton
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Cullompton
Across Devon council
Places available
9,014
Applications
6,494
Got 1st preference
96.5%
Got preferred school
99.1%
All primary applications across Devon council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Every first choice offered
Inspection History(2)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
42
SEN Support
13
EHC Plans
22.8%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
241
Total Pupils
117
Boys
124
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
20.1:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£48,749
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£4,975
Per pupil
£1372k
Total funding
£71k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
5.3%
Overall absence
13.1%
Persistent absence
221
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
Willowbank Primary School
Questions parents ask about Willowbank Primary School
What are SATs results like at Willowbank Primary School?
Of the pupils at Willowbank Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 68% reached the expected standard in reading and 62% did so in maths.
What is Willowbank Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Willowbank Primary School was rated Good at its most recent Ofsted inspection in January 2023. At its previous graded inspection in 2016 it was rated Requires Improvement.
What is the catchment area for Willowbank Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Willowbank Primary School is oversubscribed, Devon allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Willowbank Primary School?
Willowbank Primary School was not full in 2025: it ran at 59% of its 420 places.
How big are the classes at Willowbank Primary School?
Classes at Willowbank Primary School average 31.3 pupils (2025/26). 3 classes have more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Willowbank Primary School?
Willowbank Primary School has around 241 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Willowbank Primary School?
5.3% of sessions were missed at Willowbank Primary School in 2024/25. 13.1% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Willowbank Primary School?
Apply through Devon's coordinated admissions process, naming Willowbank 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 Willowbank Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club at the school: Premier Wraparound @ Willowbank (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 Willowbank Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 20 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 4 serious and 15 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 4 on foot and 1 on a bicycle. 6 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 Devon is 3 (the median across 426 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willowbank Primary School?
Willowbank Primary School is at Manitoba Gardens, Cullompton, Devon, EX15 1EZ.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)