The Willows Primary School

About The Willows Primary School

The Willows Primary School in West Berkshire is a mixed state primary for children aged 2 to 11, currently home to 383 pupils against a capacity of 450. That leaves some headroom, but the school is clearly in demand: for the 2025/26 intake, it received 42 applications for 30 places, with 20 of those coming as first preferences. The oversubscription ratio sits at 1.4, meaning for every ten places, fourteen families applied. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals stands at 25.1%, which is notably higher than the national average for primary schools (around 23%) and suggests a genuinely mixed intake that reflects the local community. Headteacher Joanna MacArthur leads a school that has no religious character, and the site includes a nursery provision for the youngest children. With a pupil count that is 85% of capacity, the school is well-subscribed but not bursting, offering a realistic chance of a place for families who live nearby.

Academically, The Willows sits in a solid middle ground within West Berkshire. In the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, 63% of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, which is six percentage points above the local authority average of 57%. The school ranks 22nd out of 57 primary schools in the borough, placing it in the top 40% locally, and sits around the midpoint nationally. Looking at individual subjects, 78% met the expected standard in maths and 76% in writing, while reading was slightly lower at 64%. At the higher standard, 15% of pupils achieved the top marks across all three subjects. Average scaled scores were 106 in maths and 105 in reading, both a touch above the national benchmark of 100. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, in December 2021, rated it Good across every category, including early years provision, behaviour and attitudes, and leadership. That was a clear improvement from its previous Requires Improvement rating in 2018.

The school offers a broad set of facilities for a primary, including a sports hall, playing fields, a library, music rooms, art studios, a sensory room and even a chapel. Sports on the curriculum include athletics, tennis, netball, dance and swimming, while after-school clubs range from gardening and chess to science, eco and drama clubs. SEND provision is extensive, covering specific learning difficulties like dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, speech and language needs, hearing and visual impairments, physical disabilities and autistic spectrum disorder. For families weighing up options, The Willows is a Good-rated primary with a realistic chance of admission, strong local results and a genuinely inclusive intake. Its nearest Outstanding-rated alternative is Enborne C.E. Primary School, 4.5 km away, which may be a consideration for families with a strong preference for a top-tier Ofsted rating.

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