The Willows Primary School
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The Willows Primary School is a council school in Stoke-on-Trent for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 689 pupils and room for 690. About 24 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, about the same as most schools in England. We give it 83 out of 100. That puts it above schools like it, ahead of 86% of the 50 schools most like it. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2025, no overall grade.
Greatbatch Avenue, Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7JY01782 233280willowsprimary.comMrs Sarah Thursfield headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 10 June 2025, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Not judged Between September 2024 and November 2025, Ofsted graded each area but stopped giving one overall word.
Earlier inspections (1)
| Date | Type | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| 4 March 2020 | Ungraded | School remains Good |
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
92 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Stoke-on-Trent | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 92 | 90 | 90 | 88 | 60 | 60 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 73% | 67% | 70% | 65% | 65% | 70% | 62% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 8% | 8% | 5% | 13% | 10% | 7% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 108.0 | 107.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 | 106.0 | 104.5 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 107.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 | 106.0 | 103.7 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 109.0 | 108.0 | 107.0 | 106.0 | 108.0 | 106.0 | 104.9 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 82% | 81% | 74% | 76% | 82% | 75% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 84% | 84% | 83% | 80% | 77% | 82% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 80% | 74% | 83% | 78% | 80% | 90% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -0.4 | -0.1 | +0.5 | +1.9 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | +1.6 | -0.2 | +0.5 | +1.9 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 52% | 48% | 69% | 57% | 67% | 55% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 81% | 72% | 70% | 67% | 65% | 73% | – | – |
There are no progress figures for 2025. That year group missed their Year 2 tests during Covid, so there was no starting point to measure from. Progress figures come back with the December 2026 results. Tests were cancelled altogether in 2020 and 2021.
Does every child do well here?
A good school does well by every child, not just on average. Each row compares two groups of pupils here. The grey marks show the same two groups across England. None of the gaps is smaller than the gap across England. When a group has fewer than about ten pupils, its figures jump around a lot from year to year.
At the end of primary school, 2025
Low-income means the child has had free school meals at some point in the last six years. A group's figure isn't published when it has fewer than six pupils.
Getting a place
Admissions policy not published.
The school is full, with 1 more pupils than it has places for. More families apply than can get in, so things like how close you live and whether an older brother or sister is already here decide who gets a place. Pupil numbers have stayed about the same since 2021/22.
In 2026 every child who applied got a place, so how far away you live didn't matter. That could change if the school gets more popular.
We measure in a straight line from the middle of your postcode to the school. The council measures its own way, and the cut-off changes every year. Use this as a rough guide, and read the council's admissions booklet before you apply.
How places were given out for September 2026. Every child who applied got a place (76 offers for 90 places).
| Entry | Places | Put it first | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 90 | 72 | 114 | 76 | – all offered | LA |
| 2025 Primary | 90 | – | 143 | 90 | 0.9 miles | LA |
What a home within 0.9 miles of the school costs
Every home sold within that distance of the school (the typical cut-off over the last three years), of any type, from HM Land Registry records. If homes here cost more than the district average, that is the price people pay to live close enough to get in.
Who goes here
Who a school teaches matters. That is why our score compares it with schools that take in a similar mix of children, not with every school in the country.
Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 10 pupils, for hearing impairment.
To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Stoke-on-Trent with hearing impairment provision.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 29.9 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 30.1 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Moderate learning difficulty (38), language and communications needs (24), emotional and mental health (21), Hearing impairment (9), Specific learning difficulty (5), Autistic spectrum disorder (3).
How the mix of pupils has changed
| Census | 2026 | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils on roll | 689 | 690 | 687 | 687 | 681 | 684 |
| Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals | 24% | 23% | 20% | 20% | 20% | 19% |
| Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language | 25% | 23% | 22% | 23% | 21% | 20% |
| Pupils getting extra supportSEN support | – | 13% | 10% | 9% | 9% | 6% |
| Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans | – | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% | 3% |
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 95.9% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.
Attendance year by year
| Measure | 2024/25 | 2023/24 | 2022/23 | 2021/22 | 2020/21 | 2018/19 | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sessions missedOverall absence | 4.1% | 5.0% | 5.5% | 6.6% | 3.4% | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 3.0% | 3.2% | 3.4% | 4.9% | 2.4% | 2.1% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.1% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 1.6% | 1.0% | 1.6% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 7.8% | 10.7% | 15.0% | 17.7% | 7.9% | 7.0% | 12.8% |
| SuspensionsSuspension rate | 0.0 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.6 | – | – |
| Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Staff and money
From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.
Money
From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.
Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.
The area around the school
Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.
Nearby schools
The closest primary schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.
| School | Type | Distance | Pupils | Ofsted | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Thomas Aquinas Catholic Primary School | Academy | 780 m | 229 | Good 2022 | 49 | Compare |
| St John's CofE (A) Primary School | Church of England | 0.7 miles | 270 | Report card 2026 | 15 | Compare |
| Stoke Minster CofE Primary Academy | Academy | 0.7 miles | 343 | No overall grade 2025 | 12 | Compare |
| Harpfield Primary Academy | Academy | 0.8 miles | 226 | Not inspected | 61 | Compare |
| Oakhill Primary School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 452 | Good 2023 | 44 | Compare |
| St Mark's CofE Primary School | Academy | 1.1 miles | 449 | No overall grade 2024 | 6 | Compare |
| Hassell Primary School | Council | 1.2 miles | 173 | Good 2023 | 28 | Compare |
| Etruscan Primary School | Academy | 1.2 miles | 443 | No overall grade 2024 | 5 | Compare |
Compared with schools like it
Our score compares The Willows Primary School with the 49 schools in England whose pupils are most like its own. We match on family income, how many children are learning English, special needs, the neighbourhood, the size of the school and how it admits pupils. Those 49 schools are dotted all over the country, so we don't list them. What matters is where this school sits among them.
How the score was worked out
The score is out of 100. A 83 means that once everything below is added up, this school comes out ahead of 83% of primary schools in England. Results bounce around from year to year, especially in small schools, so we also show a likely range: 72 to 90. Every part is judged against schools with a similar mix of pupils. For small schools we pull each part towards the group average, so one unusual year can't swing the score too far.
| What we looked at | How much it counts | Against schools like it | Effect on the score | Based on |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results over three years | 25% | above | +0.12 | 2025, 2024 and 2023 results; 92 pupils |
| Ofsted inspection | 20% | above | +0.09 | Ofsted grade, 1.3 years old |
| Progress pupils make | 20% | above | +0.08 | DfE progress measure; 92 pupils |
| Direction of travel over five years | 10% | above | +0.07 | results and attendance rising year on year |
| Attendance and behaviour | 10% | above | +0.07 | 2024/25; 552 pupils |
| Results, allowing for the mix of pupils | 10% | above | +0.04 | Attainment relative to schools with a similar intake; 92 pupils |
| What parents say | 0% | no data | – |
Worked out on 13 September 2026 (method v1). Read how the score works, including every weight and the checks we run. Think a number is wrong? Tell us.
Questions parents ask
Is The Willows Primary School a good school?
Yes, going by the figures. The Willows Primary School scores 83 out of 100. That is above schools that take in a similar mix of pupils, and ahead of 86% of the 50 schools most like it in England. The score could fairly be anywhere from 72 to 90, so a few points either way between schools doesn't mean much.
What is The Willows Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated The Willows Primary School not judged at its last full inspection on 10 June 2025.
How good are The Willows Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 73% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 12% went further and reached the higher level.
How many pupils does The Willows Primary School have?
689 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 690 places, so it is 100% full.
Is The Willows Primary School oversubscribed?
Probably. The school was full in 2024/25, with 1 more pupils than places. How close you live, and the school's other admissions rules, decide who gets in.
What is attendance like at The Willows Primary School?
Pupils were in school 95.9% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 8% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at The Willows Primary School?
The average class had 29.3 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. 18% of classes had more than 30 pupils.
Does The Willows Primary School have specialist SEND provision?
Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for hearing impairment. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Greatbatch Avenue, Penkhull, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 7JY
- Telephone
- 01782 233280
- Website
- www.willowsprimary.com
- Headteacher
- Mrs Sarah Thursfield
- Type of school
- Council school (Community school, local authority maintained schools)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Local authority
- Stoke-on-Trent
- Ward
- Penkhull & Springfields
- Constituency
- Stoke-on-Trent Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- URN
- 123999 · LAESTAB 8612059 · UKPRN 10077210
- Formerly
- Penkhull Nursery School, Penkhull Infants' School, Mount Special School
Where these figures come from
- School details: Department for Education, Get Information About Schools, refreshed daily (this page rebuilt 13 September 2026).
- Inspections: Ofsted management information, monthly; latest publication in our data 27 August 2026.
- Year 6 results: DfE key stage 2 tables, 2024/25.
- Attendance: DfE pupil absence in schools in England, 2024/25 full year.
- Pupil characteristics: DfE school census, January 2026.
- Staff: DfE school workforce census, November 2025.
- Class sizes: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026.
- Pupil premium: DfE allocations and conditions of grant, 2026 to 2027.
- Money: DfE financial benchmarking and insights tool, consistent financial reporting 2024/25.
- Admissions outcomes: Stoke-on-Trent council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2025, 2026.
- House prices: HM Land Registry price paid data, December 2023 to December 2025, placed by postcode.
- Neighbourhood: police.uk street-level crime, HM Land Registry price paid data, NaPTAN bus stops, English Indices of Deprivation 2025.
- All under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Full list and update calendar.