Willowbrook Primary School, Brentwood
Willowbrook Primary School is a primary school for pupils aged 4 to 11 in Brentwood. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in January 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in June 2024 did not change this grade. Its 2025 Key Stage 2 results were the 14th-highest of the 17 schools in Brentwood with published results, and 7,353rd of 14,452 across England. It was full in 2025.
- SATs results
- In line with England
- Ofsted
- Good (2019)
- Demand
- Oversubscribed
- Attendance
- In line with England
Reception applications for September 2027 close in 80 days
Deadline Friday 15 January 2027. Apply to Essex (the council where you live). Offers on 16 April.
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Willowbrook Primary School in detail
Willowbrook Primary School in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "As Headteacher of this wonderful school, I am very pleased to welcome you to Willowbrook Primary School. I am immensely proud to be leading this school through the next exciting phase of its history. Our school ethos and values underpin everything we do, providing a safe, supportive and encouraging environment in which we recognise each unique individual."
The school runs after-school care.
Coming up: an open day on Friday 6 November 2026 at 10am, an open evening on Friday 6 November 2026, an open day on Thursday 3 December 2026 at 10am and an open evening on Thursday 3 December 2026. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Wraparound care (school website)Open days on the school's site (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Results
In 2025, 77% of Year 6 pupils at Willowbrook Primary School reached the expected standard in reading and 77% in maths. At the average state primary the figures were 78% and 76% in Essex and 77% and 75% across England.
Results rose from 70% in reading and 60% in maths in 2024.
With small year groups, a few pupils can move these figures by several points.
Getting a place at Willowbrook Primary School
For September 2026 entry, 32 families put Willowbrook Primary School as their first choice and 99 named it as one of their preferences, for 30 places offered. That is 1.1 first choices for every place. 5 families who put it first were not offered a place there.
Admissions history and your chances at Willowbrook Primary School
Compared with nearby schools
The nearest other state primary schools to Willowbrook Primary School are Hutton All Saints' Church of England Primary School (0.2 miles, Good, 84% reading, 84% maths); St Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary School (0.2 miles, Outstanding, 97% reading, 87% maths); Long Ridings Primary School (0.6 miles, Good, 89% reading, 87% maths); and Shenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School (1.3 miles, Outstanding, 97% reading, 93% maths).
Each of them had higher 2025 results than Willowbrook Primary School.
Hutton All Saints' Church of England Primary SchoolSt Joseph the Worker Catholic Primary SchoolLong Ridings Primary SchoolShenfield St. Mary's Church of England Primary School
Who goes there
10.1% speak English as an additional language, against 18.8% on average, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (82%), Asian (6%) and Mixed (6%).
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Shenfield Rail Station, about 0.8 miles away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Brookfield Close (adjacent), 200 metres away.
Suspensions and exclusions
In 2024/25, Willowbrook Primary School issued 3 suspensions, 1.4 for every 100 pupils (the average state school: 6.3), and no permanent exclusions.
Secondary schools nearby
The secondary schools closest to Willowbrook Primary School are St Martin's School Brentwood (0.7 miles) and Shenfield High School (0.9 miles).
Sources: DfE school performance data (averages: state mainstream schools); DfE school-level applications and offers; council admissions booklets; DfE appeals statistics; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); DfE exclusions statistics
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
Ofsted · 2 years agoThis judgement is from January 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: The school remains Good.
Ofsted's report, in its own words
What is it like to attend this school?
'Each working for all' reflects the welcoming ethos of Willowbrook Primary. Pupils enjoy attending school and do so regularly. They work hard in their lessons. Pupils strive to reach the high expectations staff have. This helps them to achieve well. They are well prepared for their next stage of learning.
Pupils benefit from the range of well-considered enrichment opportunities the school provides. Various educational visits help pupils to learn more about the topics they study in class. They value new experiences such as zooming along the zip wire during their Year 6 residential trip. Representing the school at sporting competitions is important to pupils. They wear the school badge with pride at events such as cricket festivals or netball rallies.
What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?
The school has identified the important knowledge pupils need to understand. It has broken this knowledge down into small steps and ordered it logically. This helps pupils to build on their understanding over time. Some curriculums are newer than others. There are several subject leaders who are new to post. These subject leaders are beginning to build a picture of where they might need to make improvements. The school understands the importance of supporting these leaders to develop their knowledge and understanding of how well pupils learn in their respective subjects.
Staff typically have the subject knowledge they need to teach effectively. Generally, staff provide work that is well matched to pupils' understanding. This helps pupils apply their existing knowledge to new concepts. For example, staff ensure children in the Reception Year have a secure understanding of numbers before introducing new content. This helps children to apply their knowledge successfully when adding numbers together to solve more complex problems. Sometimes, staff set pupils complex work before they have secured the important building blocks of knowledge they need to access it. Equally, sometimes, staff set work that is too easy and this does not deepen pupils' understanding as well as it might.
From Ofsted's June 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
Ofsted rated this school Good at its January 2019 inspection - unchanged since its previous inspection.
Rated Good for
Leadership & management.
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 improved from 70% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Maths has improved from 60% to 77% (2024 to 2025). Writing has improved from 67% to 77% (2024 to 2025).
Class Sizes
30.3
Avg class size
30.0
Infant (KS1)
30.5
KS2
4
Total classes
1 class with more than 30 pupils
2025/26 academic year
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby primary schools
Social & online
Keep up with Willowbrook Primary School
Before and after school care
Clubs on Ofsted's childcare register at or near Willowbrook Primary School.
- The Treehouse Club920m away · Not yet graded
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Willowbrook Primary School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Willowbrook Primary School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 0
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.
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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 Willowbrook Primary School
Will you get a place at Willowbrook Primary School? Get the admissions report
Your home postcode, set against Willowbrook Primary School's admissions figures, in one report saved to your account.
What the report includes for Willowbrook Primary School:
- The straight-line distance from your home to Willowbrook Primary School.
- We hold no last distance offered figures from Essex, so the report covers demand, alternatives and dates.
- Applications, first choices and offers at Willowbrook Primary School for 2014 to 2026 entry.
- How many families in Essex 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
100%
Full
210 pupils
210 places
No spare places in 2025
2025, DfE school capacity data
Area Demand Pressure - Brentwood
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Brentwood
Across Essex council
Places available
17,932
Applications
15,737
Got 1st preference
90.3%
Got preferred school
98.2%
All primary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
This school: Oversubscribed
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
8
EHC Plans
17.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
208
Total Pupils
109
Boys
99
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
12
Teachers
17.3:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,499
Mean salary
2026 data
School Funding
£5,595
Per pupil
£1330k
Total funding
£77k
Pupil premium
2025-26 financial year allocations
Pupil Absence2024/25
4.9%
Overall absence
13.0%
Persistent absence
185
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
Willowbrook Primary School
Questions parents ask about Willowbrook Primary School
What are SATs results like at Willowbrook Primary School?
Of the pupils at Willowbrook Primary School who took the 2025 Key Stage 2 assessments, 77% reached the expected standard in reading and 77% did so in maths.
What is Willowbrook Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Willowbrook Primary School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2019, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Willowbrook Primary School?
No fixed boundary. When Willowbrook Primary School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
Is it hard to get a place at Willowbrook Primary School?
Willowbrook Primary School was full in 2025, at 100% of its capacity, so places are allocated on the oversubscription criteria.
How big are the classes at Willowbrook Primary School?
Classes at Willowbrook Primary School average 30.3 pupils (2025/26). 1 class has more than 30 pupils - infant classes are capped at 30 by law, with limited exceptions.
How many pupils go to Willowbrook Primary School?
Willowbrook Primary School has around 208 pupils on roll. 21% are eligible for free school meals.
What is attendance like at Willowbrook Primary School?
4.9% of sessions were missed at Willowbrook Primary School in 2024/25. 13% of pupils were persistently absent (missing 10% or more of sessions).
How do I apply to Willowbrook Primary School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Willowbrook 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 Willowbrook Primary School have a breakfast club or after-school club?
Ofsted's childcare register lists an out-of-school club within a kilometre of Willowbrook Primary School: The Treehouse Club (920m 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 Willowbrook Primary School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Willowbrook Primary School?
Willowbrook Primary School is at Rosen Crescent, Hutton, Brentwood, Essex, CM13 2TU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)