The Willows Primary School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 10 February 2026

Pupils are eager to come into school in the morning, anticipating the day ahead and looking forward to seeing their friends. Warm greetings from staff at the classroom doors and purposeful early morning activities set the tone for the day. Pupils are inspired by explicit references to the school values throughout the day to 'have a go, not give up and always try to be the best version of themselves'. As a result, classrooms are industrious and social times are enjoyable and harmonious. It is unusual for pupils to fall out. Bullying is a very rare occurrence. Highly positive relationships with staff help pupils to feel secure and part of the school community. Pupils have a well-developed understanding of the importance of respect and kindness for each other from a young age. They feel safe and well cared for, confidently putting their trust in staff to look after them and deal effectively with any worries they might have. Pupils’ confidence and self-esteem are nurtured by the school's wider development offer. Older pupils feel well prepared for the move to secondary school. They have a keen awareness of how to look after themselves and appreciate being taught important life skills, such as how to manage their money. Pupils are keen to make a positive difference to school life, for example as school councillors. Pupils have extremely positive attitudes to their learning. This starts in the Nursery Year, where children’s curiosity is sparked by the activities on offer. The carefully designed curriculum builds pupils’ learning and broadens their experience from this point on. Pupils of all ages benefit from leaders’ determination that teaching is of a consistently high quality. The school is highly inclusive. Leaders successfully break down barriers for pupils facing challenges in their lives, ensuring that they can benefit from all the school has to offer. Pupils attend regularly and achieve very well.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should continue to be resolute in tackling barriers to high attendance to further increase rates of attendance for pupils, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.
• Leaders, including those responsible for governance, should maintain their focus on disadvantaged pupils to ensure that improvements for these pupils are sustained and built on.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)