Willow School

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 15 July 2025

Within a short period of time, the school makes a positive difference for its pupils and their families. Parents and carers appreciate how strong relationships are built as soon as pupils join the school. Each pupil is seen as an individual. Pupils know that teachers will help them to feel safe and happy. The values of grow, achieve, inspire and nurture underpin the school's calm, caring environment. The proprietor and staff care deeply about helping pupils to succeed. Pupils learn to be empathetic and respectful towards their peers. They learn with minimal interruption because staff quickly identify and support any pupils who need help to recognise and manage their emotions. The school has high aspirations for what pupils can achieve. Staff build pupils' confidence in their ability to succeed, both academically and socially. Consequently, pupils re-engage with their education, try hard and learn to persevere. Pupils learn the importance of patience and setting goals for themselves. They strive to earn 'Willow' tokens, which they exchange for rewards. Highly individualised programmes help pupils overcome their fears and anxieties. For some, this allows them to fulfil their basic self-care needs. They learn how local services can support their physical health and well-being.

What the school should improve

• The curriculum limits opportunities for pupils to rehearse their reading and writing skills. This makes it harder for them to become more fluent in the necessary knowledge or to change any negative perceptions they may have. The school must ensure that staff provide pupils with sufficient opportunities to learn to read and write in a systematic way, so that pupils become increasingly independent when using these skills.
• In some subjects, the curriculum is implemented inconsistently. When this happens, pupils' recall of important subject knowledge is varied and their learning slows. The school must ensure that staff deliver the curriculum in each subject effectively and that they check that pupils can recall more subject content over time.

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