Willows Primary Academy

About Willows Primary Academy

Willows Primary Academy sits in a local authority where the average Key Stage 2 score for primary schools is 65, but the school’s most recent Ofsted inspection – carried out in 2012 – awarded it an overall rating of Outstanding, a grade held by only 20 of the 308 primary schools in Staffordshire. That puts it in a select minority, though it is worth noting the inspection is now over a decade old. The school’s leadership and management were also judged Outstanding in that same inspection, while its previous 2008 inspection rated overall effectiveness as Good. So the trajectory, at least on paper, has been upward. With 432 pupils on roll against a capacity of 420, the school is running slightly over capacity, and 36 per cent of pupils are eligible for free school meals – a figure that gives some indication of the intake’s socio-economic mix.

Academically, the data does not include recent Key Stage 2 SATs results or a Progress 8 score, so it is not possible to compare directly against the LA average of 65. What we do know is that the school’s Ofsted report from 2012 judged the quality of education as Outstanding, though no separate grade was given for that category in the breakdown. The early years provision was rated 2 (Good) in the 2008 inspection, but no later grade is available. The school’s admissions data for 2025/26 shows it was oversubscribed: 82 applications for 49 places, with 46 first-preference offers made, giving an oversubscription ratio of 1.67. That level of demand suggests local parents see value here, even if the most recent hard exam data is not publicly available to back that up.

The school offers a broad range of facilities including a Forest School, sensory room, ICT suite, gymnasium, library, art studios, and a chapel. Sports provision covers tennis, athletics, swimming, netball, dance, cricket, and cross country, while clubs include drama, book club, choir, film club, eco club, and chess. SEND support is well-documented, with provisions for specific learning difficulties (dyslexia), moderate learning difficulty, social emotional and mental health needs, speech language and communication needs, multi-sensory impairment, and physical disability. Nursery provision is available from age two. For families in Lichfield and the surrounding Staffordshire area, Willows Primary Academy is a popular choice, particularly for those who prioritise a strong Ofsted rating and a wide extracurricular offer, though the lack of recent academic data means it is worth visiting to see how the school currently performs in the classroom.

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