Willow Bank Primary School

About Willow Bank Primary School

Willow Bank Primary School in Bexley received a Requires Improvement rating in its most recent Ofsted inspection in 2023, a downgrade from the Good rating it held in its previous inspection. The most telling exam metric is that just 61% of pupils met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined at Key Stage 2 in 2023/24. That is six percentage points below the Bexley local authority average of 67%, and places the school 35th out of 55 primary schools in the borough. Only 4% of pupils reached the higher standard in all three subjects, and the school ranks in the bottom half nationally on this measure.

Looking more closely at the 2023/24 Key Stage 2 results, the school’s strongest individual subject was writing, where 70% of pupils met the expected standard, followed by maths at 66% and reading at 64%. Average scaled scores were 104 in reading and 101 in maths, both slightly below national averages. The school’s ranking within Bexley puts it in the bottom 50% of primaries locally, and nationally it sits around the 54th percentile. The proportion of pupils eligible for free school meals is high at 61.4%, which is important context when interpreting these outcomes. The school has capacity for 420 pupils but currently has just 210 on roll, suggesting significant spare places. In its most recent inspection, Ofsted noted that behaviour and attitudes were Good, and early years provision was also rated Good, indicating solid foundations in the youngest classes.

Willow Bank Primary is a mixed, non-religious state school for children aged 4 to 11. It offers a sensory room, forest school, music rooms, library, ICT suite and a chapel, alongside clubs including choir, coding, science, art, eco and book club. Sports provision covers football, gymnastics, tennis, athletics, dance, rounders and cross country. The school has identified SEND provisions for social, emotional and mental health needs, as well as speech, language and communication support. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 44 applications for 15 places, with all 15 first-preference applicants offered a spot, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.93. This suggests strong local demand despite the Requires Improvement rating. The nearest Outstanding-rated primary is St John Fisher Catholic Primary School, half a kilometre away. Willow Bank would suit families who value a broad range of enrichment activities and specialist facilities, and who are comfortable with a school that is actively working on improvement.

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