Willow Primary School

About Willow Primary School

Willow Primary School sits within the Doncaster local authority, where it ranks 18th out of 87 primary schools on the key stage 2 reading, writing and maths expected standard — placing it comfortably in the top quarter of its local peers. The three highest-ranked schools in the area are Crookesbroom Primary Academy, St Oswald's CofE Academy and Arksey Primary School, all of which score above Willow on the same metric. Willow is a state-funded, mixed primary for children aged 4 to 11, with no religious character, and is led by headteacher Davina Sumner. The school is nearly at full capacity with 418 pupils against a maximum of 420, and just 9.3 per cent of pupils qualify for free school meals — below the national average, suggesting a relatively affluent intake. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in 2022, rated the school Good across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. That marks a significant turnaround from its previous inspection in 2016, when it was rated Inadequate overall.

Academically, Willow performs well above the Doncaster average. At key stage 2 in 2023/24, 71 per cent of pupils reached the expected standard in reading, writing and maths combined, compared with a local authority average of 61 per cent. The school’s score of 71 on this metric places it in the top 50 nationally among primary schools. In individual subjects, 81 per cent met the expected standard in reading, 88 per cent in maths, and 81 per cent in writing. At the higher standard, 17 per cent achieved the top level across all three subjects, with reading leading at 41 per cent, maths at 36 per cent, and writing at 17 per cent. Average scaled scores were 107 in both reading and maths. The school does not publish progress scores for these subjects, so it is not possible to compare how much value it adds relative to pupils’ starting points. The Ofsted report from 2022 noted that behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership were all Good, and early years provision was also rated Good.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a library, ICT suite, art studios, music rooms, a sports hall and a gymnasium, with playing fields on site. Sports on offer include swimming, tennis, dance, netball, gymnastics and rounders, and there are clubs for science, eco activities and drama. Willow has a substantial SEND provision, supporting children with specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, moderate learning difficulties, social, emotional and mental health needs, speech, language and communication needs, hearing impairment, physical disability and autistic spectrum disorder. For the 2025/26 intake, the school was oversubscribed: 119 applications were received for 52 places, with 50 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 2.29. This level of demand suggests a strong local reputation. Families considering Willow should be aware that it is a popular choice in Doncaster, and securing a place may require a first-preference application. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is Grange Lane Infant Academy, three kilometres away.

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