SCHOOL PROFILE

The Willows Primary School

Primary Academy converter URN 144216
Open
Pupils 8,834,192 Latest school census
Capacity 420 Published school capacity
Capacity used 61.7% Pupils as a share of capacity
Age range 4 – 11 Statutory age range
OFSTED

Latest graded inspection

13 February 2024
Latest published outcome Requires improvement
OEIF
Quality of education Requires improvement
Behaviour & attitudes Requires improvement
Personal development Good
Leadership & management Requires improvement
SCHOOL DETAILS

About this school

School type Academy converter
Phase Primary
Gender Mixed
Religious character Does not apply
Local authority Suffolk
Trust ORWELL MULTI ACADEMY TRUST
Census date 15 January 2026
PUPIL PROFILE

School community

Latest published pupil characteristics for 2025/26.

2025/26
Total pupils 259 259 full-time · 0 part-time
Female pupils 139 53.7% of pupils
Male pupils 120 46.3% of pupils

Free school meals

Pupils eligible for free school meals.

60.6%
35.8 pts above England
School 60.6%
Ipswich 25.2%
East of England 19.7%
England 24.8%

English as an additional language

Pupils whose first language is not English.

23.2%
2.9 pts above England
School 23.2%
Ipswich 25.1%
East of England 16.4%
England 20.3%

Young carers

Pupils recorded as young carers.

6.2%
5.2 pts above England
School 6.2%
Ipswich 2.1%
East of England 1.7%
England 1.0%

Ethnicity

Largest recorded pupil groups.

White British
61.8%
160
Any other Mixed background
7.7%
20
Any other White background
6.6%
17
African
4.6%
12
Any other ethnic group
4.6%
12
White and Black African
3.5%
9
Council, regional and national comparisons are pupil-weighted using published school census counts.
ADDITIONAL NEEDS

Special educational needs

Pupils receiving SEN support or with an education, health and care plan.

2025/26
Pupils with SEN 28.6% 74 of 259 pupils
7.7 pts above England England: 20.8%
School 28.6%
Ipswich 20.0%
East of England 19.8%
England 20.8%
SEN support 18.5% 48 pupils
England 14.8% 3.7 pts above
EHC plans 10.0% 26 pupils
England 6.0% 4.0 pts above
PRIMARY NEEDS

Most common identified needs

Pupils
Specific learning difficulty 24
Speech, language & communication 22
Social, emotional & mental health 16
Autistic spectrum disorder 11
Physical disability 1

SEN comparisons are pupil-weighted using published 2025/26 Department for Education school-level data. Primary needs combine pupils receiving SEN support and pupils with EHC plans.

ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE

Key stage 2 outcomes

Published Department for Education results for 2024/25.

2024/25
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading, writing & maths

35.0% 25.4 pts below England
School 35.0%
Ipswich 53.9%
East of England 58.3%
England 60.4%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Reading

54.0%

19.8 pts below England

School 54.0%
Ipswich 66.0%
East of England 72.9%
England 73.8%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Writing

50.0%

20.3 pts below England

School 50.0%
Ipswich 65.9%
East of England 68.0%
England 70.3%
EXPECTED STANDARD

Maths

50.0%

22.0 pts below England

School 50.0%
Ipswich 65.2%
East of England 70.3%
England 72.0%
School results show the percentage of pupils meeting the expected standard. Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages and are not pupil-weighted official attainment rates.
ATTENDANCE & ABSENCE

Attendance profile

Published Department for Education absence data for 2024/25. Lower absence rates are generally better.

2024/25
ABSENCE RATE

Overall absence

7.03%

Percentage of possible sessions missed.

0.81 pts higher than England
School 7.03%
Ipswich 7.15%
East of England 6.17%
England 6.22%
ABSENCE RATE

Persistent absence

21.97%

Pupils missing 10% or more of sessions.

6.16 pts higher than England
School 21.97%
Ipswich 18.95%
East of England 15.39%
England 15.82%
ABSENCE RATE

Severe absence

2.87%

Pupils missing 50% or more of sessions.

1.06 pts higher than England
School 2.87%
Ipswich 2.65%
East of England 1.83%
England 1.80%
Council, regional and national comparisons are averages of published school-level percentages rather than pupil-weighted official absence rates.
HOW DOES IT COMPARE?

School context

Comparison with open primary schools.

CAPACITY

Capacity utilisation

61.7% 26.5 pts below England
The Willows Primary School
61.7%
Ipswich
82.9%
East of England
87.4%
England
88.2%
Benchmarks use open schools in the same phase. Capacity utilisation is calculated from published pupil and capacity figures.
Sources: Department for Education · Get Information about Schools · Ofsted monthly management information