The Willows Primary School

Ipswich · IP2 9ER

General information Primary School · 4-11 years Who goes here 259 pupils, 60.6% FSM

Educational attainment Ofsted: Requires improvement

Parent score Rate this school No reviews yet - be the first SEN 18.5% on SEN support Behaviour 7.0% absence rate Staff 27.2% turnover Financials £7,703 per pupil Environment Buildings and facilities

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The Willows Primary School

General Information

Address: Downing Close, Ipswich, IP2 9ER – View on map
Phone: 01473683178
Website: Visit school website
Headteacher: Mrs Kelly Head
Age range: 4-11 years
Demand for places (Reception, September 2026): 19 families put it first for 20 places – 10 for every 10 places. Every one of them was offered a place. No places went to families living outside the council area. Children putting it first, for every 10 places: 2023 9 · 2024 9 · 2025 10 · 2026 10
Sixth form: No
Intake: Mixed
Religious character: Does not apply
Nursery provision: No

Who goes here

259 pupils out of 420 places Plenty of room

Pupils eligible for free school meals: 157
% eligible for free school meals: 60.6%
Pupil mix: 6 in 10 (less mixed than the Ipswich average)
English as an additional language: 23% (England 22%)

Staff

Teachers leaving each year

Teacher turnover: 27.2% a year (Ipswich 14.9%, typical in England 13.9%)
Where they went: about 54% moved to another school, 46% left state schools altogether (retirement, other careers, independent schools, abroad)
Data years: 2022/23 to 2024/25 (average of 3 years, DfE school workforce census)

Teachers who moved school or left state schools in the year after each November, as a share of all the school's teachers. Some turnover is healthy – retirements, promotions, moving house.

Behaviour

Awaiting Data

About this Behaviour status

We've asked this school for real behaviour figures under Freedom of Information and haven't had a response yet.

Across Suffolk: suspensions by reason

Suspensions for sexual misconduct: 20 (0.4 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Permanent exclusions for sexual misconduct: 1
Suspensions for bullying: 14 (0.3 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.2)
Suspensions for abuse against sexual orientation or gender identity: 1 (0.0 per 1,000 pupils; England 0.0)
Data year: 2024/25 (DfE suspensions and exclusions statistics)

These are figures for all state primary schools in Suffolk (the council area this school is in), not this school's own – the government doesn't publish them school by school. A suspension can have up to three reasons. Most sexual harassment between pupils never leads to a suspension, so these figures show only part of the picture.

Attendance

Overall absence: 7.0%
Persistently absent pupils: 22.0%
Data year: 2024/25

About persistent absence

A pupil is counted as "persistently absent" if they miss 10% or more of their possible school sessions - roughly one day in every two weeks. Schools and Ofsted both pay close attention to this figure specifically, since it can highlight a pattern the overall absence rate alone might hide.

SEN

No dedicated Unit or Resourced Provision

SEN Unit and Resourced Provision

Most mainstream schools don't have a dedicated SEN Unit or Resourced Provision - it isn't a mark against a school that doesn't, just a different kind of setup than one that does.

Pupils on SEN Support: 18.5%
Pupils with an EHC Plan: 10.0%
Data year: 2025/26

Most common needs - SEN Support

Speech, language and communications needs: 18 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 17 pupils
Social, emotional and mental health: 7 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 5 pupils
Physical disability: 1 pupil

Most common needs - EHC Plan

Social, emotional and mental health: 9 pupils
Specific learning difficulty: 7 pupils
Autistic spectrum disorder: 6 pupils
Speech, language and communications needs: 4 pupils

These figures show the makeup of the school.

About these SEND figures

These figures give a sense of the makeup of the school - they aren't a judgement on the quality of support provided.

Parent score - no reviews yet –

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Behaviour

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Openness

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Teaching Quality

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School Ethos

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Ability to Deal with Problems

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Headteacher Approval

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SafeguardingSafeguarding (parent rating)How parents rate the school on keeping children safe - how safe their child feels, and how well concerns are listened to and acted on. It's parents' experience, not an inspection result; Ofsted checks safeguarding separately.

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Wraparound CareWraparound Care (parent rating)How parents rate the school's breakfast and after-school clubs - availability, cost and quality. Only asked for infant, junior and primary schools, where it matters most for working parents.

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Would recommend –

Educational Attainment

Requires improvement 2024 report

About this Ofsted rating

Ofsted changed how it rates schools in the last couple of years, so ratings from different years aren't always on the same scale - that's why we show the year alongside every rating.

Year 6 SATs results

Met the expected standard in reading, writing & maths: 35% (England 62%)
Reached the higher standard: 6% (England 8%)
Compared with the area: 22 percentage points below the Ipswich average (57%)
Compared with schools with similar pupils: Well below (3-year average 28% against an expected 54%)
3-year average (expected standard): 28%
Expected standard by subject: Reading 54% · Writing 50% · Maths 50% · Grammar, punctuation & spelling 43%
Average test scores: reading 100, maths 100
Based on: 54 Year 6 pupils, 2024/25

View the School Context Comparator – how this school's SATs results compare with schools teaching similar pupils.

SATs results over time

This schoolIpswich averageEngland↗ Improving Up 15 percentage points since 2022/23. In 2024/25 this school was 22 percentage points below the Ipswich average (57%).

Year 6 SATs: 28th of 29 junior and primary schools in the area

#26Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy44%
#27Morland Church of England Primary School36%
#28The Willows Primary School35%
#29Ranelagh Primary School23%

Click to see the full ranking

Year 6 SATs ranking

Junior and primary schools in this area, ranked by the % of Year 6 pupils meeting the expected standard in reading, writing and maths (official DfE results, 2024/25). Schools with the same result share a place (shown as =). In small schools one or two children can move a school several places, so treat close positions as roughly equal.

Rank School Score

#1St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich87%
#2St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich75%
#3Cliff Lane Primary School74%
=4Halifax Primary School72%
=4St Pancras Catholic Primary School72%
#6Sprites Primary Academy71%
=7Dale Hall Community Primary School67%
=7The Oaks Primary School67%
=9Britannia Primary School and Nursery63%
=9Ravenswood Community Primary School63%
=9St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich63%
#12Handford Hall Primary School62%
#13Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy60%
=14Rose Hill Primary59%
=14Rushmere Hall Primary School59%
=16Castle Hill Junior School57%
=16Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery57%
#18Gusford Community Primary School55%
=19Hillside Primary School53%
=19St Helen's Primary School53%
#21Sidegate Primary School51%
#22The Beeches Community Primary School50%
#23Springfield Junior School49%
#24St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich47%
#25Whitehouse Community Primary School46%
#26Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy44%
#27Morland Church of England Primary School36%
#28The Willows Primary School35%
#29Ranelagh Primary School23%

View full Ofsted inspection report

21st of 21 primary schools in Ipswich for Ofsted rating

#19St Pancras Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#20The Beeches Community Primary SchoolGood
#21The Willows Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Click to see the full ranking

Ofsted Rating ranking

Based on real Ofsted ratings (via official DfE data) for schools on the same four-word grading scale.

Rank School Score

#1St Mary's Catholic Primary School, IpswichOutstanding
#2The Oaks Primary SchoolOutstanding
#3Britannia Primary School and NurseryGood
#4Cliff Lane Primary SchoolGood
#5Dale Hall Community Primary SchoolGood
#6Halifax Primary SchoolGood
#7Handford Hall Primary SchoolGood
#8Morland Church of England Primary SchoolGood
#9Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm AcademyGood
#10Ranelagh Primary SchoolGood
#11Rushmere Hall Primary SchoolGood
#12Sidegate Primary SchoolGood
#13Sprites Primary AcademyGood
#14St Helen's Primary SchoolGood
#15St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichGood
#16St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, IpswichGood
#17St Mark's Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#18St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, IpswichGood
#19St Pancras Catholic Primary SchoolGood
#20The Beeches Community Primary SchoolGood
#21The Willows Primary SchoolRequires improvement

Financials

Spending per pupil: £7,703 (2024-25)

About this spending figure

A higher or lower position here isn't a sign of a better or worse school - schools have different needs and circumstances - but it can help reassure you that a school has sufficient funding behind your child's education.

2nd of 27 primary schools in Ipswich for spending per pupil

#1Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy£8,624
#2The Willows Primary School£7,703
#3Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy£7,448
#4Hillside Primary School£7,250

Click to see the full ranking

Spending Per Pupil ranking

Based on official DfE financial return data (Consistent Financial Reporting / Academies Accounts Return) - not a ranking of school quality.

Rank School Score

#1Piper's Vale Primary - A Paradigm Academy£8,624
#2The Willows Primary School£7,703
#3Murrayfield Primary - A Paradigm Academy£7,448
#4Hillside Primary School£7,250
#5Ranelagh Primary School£7,054
#6Morland Church of England Primary School£6,923
#7Sidegate Primary School£6,509
#8Rushmere Hall Primary School£6,450
#9St Matthew's Church of England Primary School, Ipswich£6,448
#10Whitehouse Community Primary School£6,293
#11St Pancras Catholic Primary School£6,291
#12St Margaret's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich£6,276
#13Gusford Community Primary School£6,241
#14Handford Hall Primary School£6,204
#15Rose Hill Primary£6,200
#16St Mary's Catholic Primary School, Ipswich£6,170
#17The Beeches Community Primary School£6,050
#18St Helen's Primary School£6,046
#19Ravenswood Community Primary School£5,966
#20St John's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Ipswich£5,912
#21The Oaks Primary School£5,822
#22Dale Hall Community Primary School£5,756
#23Cliff Lane Primary School£5,455
#24Clifford Community Primary School & Nursery£5,350
#25Sprites Primary Academy£5,303
#26Halifax Primary School£5,210
#27Britannia Primary School and Nursery£4,758

View on the Financial Benchmarking and Insights Tool (GOV.UK)

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