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Willowdown Primary School

Somerset, TA6 4FUPrimaryAges 2–11MixedState
Ofsted Rating
Requires Improvement
Oct 2025
KS2 Results
58%
meeting expected standard in RWM
Competition
0.9×
Not oversubscribed
30 1st-choice / 33 places
Ranking
#8,371
of 13,686 nationally

About Willowdown Primary School

Willowdown Primary School is a state-funded mixed primary in Somerset, catering for children aged 2 to 11. In the local authority’s rankings for Key Stage 2 outcomes, it sits at 68th out of 134 primary schools, placing it in the bottom half of Somerset primaries. The top-performing peers in the area include Combe St Nicholas Church of England VA Primary School, Kingfisher Primary School, and Preston CofE Primary School, all of which achieve higher ranking scores. The school’s most recent Ofsted inspection, carried out in 2023, rated it Requires Improvement across every category: overall effectiveness, quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, leadership and management, and early years provision. This was a consistent outcome compared with its previous inspection in 2019, which also graded overall effectiveness as Requires Improvement. With a capacity of 420 and 342 pupils on roll, the school is not yet full, though it was oversubscribed for the 2025/26 intake, receiving 56 applications for 33 places.

Key Details

School TypePrimary (State)
Age Range2 to 11 years
GenderMixed
Religious CharacterNone
AddressKings Drive, Bridgwater, Somerset, TA6 4FU
HeadteacherKatie Sharp
Local AuthoritySomerset
Number of Pupils342
Free School Meals (FSM)22.0%
School Capacity342 / 420 (81% full)
Nursery ClassesYes

The full report on this school

What 12 parents told Ofsted, the inspection in plain English, and how this school compares to nearby alternatives — all in one full school report.

  • Ofsted inspection in plain English
    Strengths, concerns and what inspectors flagged
  • Parent View survey results
    What parents told Ofsted — when the school has 10+ responses
  • Where Ofsted and parents disagree
    Gaps to probe + questions to ask at the open day
  • Admissions & catchment
    Admission criteria, distance cutoffs (where the LA publishes them)
  • Nearby schools compared
    Backup options with Ofsted, demand and distance
  • Attendance & behaviour data
    Persistent absentees, suspensions and exclusions vs national
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Ofsted Inspection Breakdown

4 May 2023
View Report
Overall Effectiveness
Requires improvement
Quality of Education
Requires improvement
Behaviour & Attitudes
Requires improvement
Personal Development
Requires improvement
Leadership & Management
Requires improvement
Early Years Provision
Requires improvement

Source: Ofsted, 2 Jul 2023. Ratings: 1=Outstanding, 2=Good, 3=Requires Improvement, 4=Inadequate.

SEND Support

AutismDyslexiaMental HealthSpeech & LanguageLearning Difficulty

Source: Department for Education, 2024/25. Support availability based on current student population.

School day

Verified

Teaching hours

08:40 – 15:10

Breakfast club

07:30-08:40

After-school care

15:20-17:30

Source: willowdownprimaryschool.org.uk. Extracted automatically — confirm with the school before relying on these times.

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Frequently Asked Questions About Willowdown Primary School

Willowdown Primary School has been rated "Requires Improvement" by Ofsted. This means the school is not yet good, but inspectors believe it can improve with the right support and changes.