The Willows
Willow Grange, Henry Street, Rishton, BB1 4JJOpen in maps (opens in a new tab)
The Willows is a special school in Rishton for ages 5 to 16. It is one of the 692 schools in Lancashire. Its latest Ofsted rating is Good, from an inspection in July 2025.
Ofsted inspection
Inspected 8 July 2025, report published 22 September 2025
- Overall effectiveness
- Good
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Met
What Ofsted said
From the inspection on 8 July 2025
The school has created a highly successful ethos that supports pupils to focus on their learning. It has high expectations for pupils' achievement. From their different starting points, pupils achieve well. They are enthused by the enriching activities that the school provides. As part of their work on citizenship, pupils contribute by litter picking and reading with residents in a local care home. Such opportunities significantly enhance pupils' experience of, and contribution to, the wider world. The school helps pupils to be ready for their future lives. Most pupils have found their previous experiences of education difficult. Many have been without education for some time. At The Willows, pupils re-engage well with learning the ambitious curriculum that the school has designed for them. Staff create a caring environment in which pupils begin to flourish. The carefully developed transition programme is impressive. Pupils quickly integrate into the school. They want to attend school and attendance levels are high. Staff build trusting relationships that help pupils settle into school routines. The school supports pupils to behave well. Pupils rise to these expectations most of the time. When pupils find things more difficult, expert staff support them to regulate their emotions and get back on track quickly.
What the school should improve
- Although staff check pupils' understanding and progress through the curriculum regularly, teachers do not use the information that these checks give them to inform next steps. This means that pupils spend time learning things that they are not ready for, or things that they can already do, limiting their progress through the intended curriculum. The school should make more consistent use of these checks to better inform future learning.
- At times, the activities that pupils are given do not support the intended learning. This hinders pupils' achievement. The school should ensure that staff are supported to deliver the curriculum consistently well.
Pupil numbers and mix
23 pupils on roll, with places for 40
Schools near The Willows
| School | Distance | Ofsted | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park View | 1 mile | Ofsted: Good | Not published |
| Oswaldtwistle White Ash School | 2 miles | Ofsted: Outstanding | 0% met the expected standard |
| Newfield School | 3 miles | Ofsted judgements: Good | 0% met the expected standard |
| Eden School | 5 miles | Ofsted: Good | Attainment 8: 13.0 |
| Lower Pastures | 5 miles | Report card: Needs attention to expected standard | Not published |
School details
- School type
- Other independent special school
- Sector
- Independent
- Age range
- 5 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Headteacher Rebecca Warhurst
- Phone
- 01254360807
- Address
- Willow Grange, Henry Street, Rishton, BB1 4JJ
- Local authority
- Lancashire
- URN
- 150634
School details from Get Information about Schools, 17 September 2026. Ofsted outcomes published to 31 August 2026. Pupil mix from the school census, 2025/26.