School Chooser

The Willows School

Special · ages 4-11MixedAcademy106 pupils Free breakfast clubHayesHillingdon
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedNo overall gradeLast Ofsted inspection, October 2024
Reached the expected level at 1126%England 63%
Attendance91.4%England 94.8%
Pupils from low-income families60%Far more than most schools
PlacesFull106 pupils, 80 places
Pupils per teacher35.3School workforce census

The Willows School is a special academy in Hayes for boys and girls aged 4 to 11. It has 106 pupils, 26 more than it has places for. About 60 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far more than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was inspected 2024, no overall grade.

Stipularis Drive, Hayes, UB4 9QB020 8841 7176thewillowsschoolacademytrust.co.ukMalcolm Shaw headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 8 October 2024, 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.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Outstanding
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Outstanding
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
6 July 2022UngradedSchool remains Good (Improving) - S5 Next

Results

Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025

23 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England.

Reached the expected level at 1126%
England 63%
Official name: Expected standard in reading, writing and maths
Working above the expected level0%
England 8%
Official name: Higher standard in reading, writing and maths
Reading score96.0
England 105.6
Official name: Reading average scaled score
Maths score95.0
England 104.6
Official name: Maths average scaled score
Trend
Reached the expected level at 11
2017 to 2025
2017: 0%0%20172018: 55%55%20182019: 40%40%20192023: 7%7%20232024: 39%39%20242025: 26%26%2025
Since 2017: +26%
All Year 6 measures, year by year
Measure202520242023201920182017HillingdonEngland
Pupils tested23181510119
Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths26%39%7%40%55%0%67%63%
Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths0%0%0%0%0%0%9%8%
Reading scoreReading average scaled score96.0100.093.098.0106.0102.0106.2105.6
Maths scoreMaths average scaled score95.095.096.095.0101.097.0106.0104.6
Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score98.098.097.097.0103.0100.0107.1105.2
Expected level: readingReading expected standard39%56%20%40%64%44%
Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard30%44%13%40%64%44%
Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed)39%44%20%40%55%0%
Reading progressReading progress score-2.8+1.4+4.5
Maths progressMaths progress score-3.4-2.4+1.7
Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged11%0%
Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged67%

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.

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Hillingdon council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll106Census January 2026
Places80132% full
Pupils from low-income families60%60% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English6%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support0%0 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan100%106 pupils with a plan
Pupils with extra funding (pupil premium)61%£93,000 extra funding in 2026/27; England 24%
Boys and girls92 / 14
White British pupils59%

Specialist SEND provision. A special school for pupils with social, emotional and mental health.

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 Hillingdon with social, emotional and mental health provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: emotional and mental health (51), Autistic spectrum disorder (26), language and communications needs (18), Moderate learning difficulty (5), Other difficulty or disability (4), Severe learning difficulty (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll1069572526359
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals60%56%50%54%68%71%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language6%12%11%15%14%7%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support0%0%2%3%0%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans100%100%98%97%100%

Attendance and behaviour

In 2024/25 pupils were in school 91.4% of the time. Across similar schools in England it was 94.8%.

Attendance91.4%
England 94.8%
Official name: 100 minus overall absence
Pupils missing a lot of school36.5%
England 12.8%
Official name: Persistent absence
Suspensions per 100 pupils9.52024/25, no permanent exclusions
Missed without permission1.6%of school time, 2024/25
Attendance year by year
Measure2024/252023/242022/232021/222020/212018/19England
Sessions missedOverall absence8.6%7.8%8.7%10.2%14.3%9.2%5.2%
Missed with permissionAuthorised absence7.0%6.3%7.8%9.1%11.6%7.2%
Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence1.6%1.4%0.9%1.0%2.7%2.1%
Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence36.5%26.0%30.2%38.5%51.4%36.2%12.8%
SuspensionsSuspension rate9.518.15.89.51.7
Permanent exclusionsPermanent exclusions00000

Staff

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025.

Teachers3.0full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher35.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants4.0full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£70,321
Teachers who left in the year0%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m65612 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate109 per 1,000 people20% higher than the England average
Typical house price£500,000Hillingdon
Nearest bus stop140 mPendula Drive, 12 stops within 500 m

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 schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Grand Union Village SchoolFree school470 m99Not inspectedCompare
Brookside Primary SchoolAcademy670 m357Good 202437Compare
Viking Primary SchoolCouncil830 m213Good 202344Compare
Durdans Park Primary SchoolCouncil880 m417Good 202384Compare
Barnhill Community High SchoolAcademy880 m1,537Outstanding 202489Compare
Yeading Junior SchoolCouncil890 m422Good 202328Compare
Yeading Infant and Nursery SchoolCouncil910 m453Not inspectedCompare
Lady Margaret Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles434Report card 202688Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Willows School a good school?

The Willows School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it not judged at its last inspection in October 2024.

What is The Willows School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Willows School not judged at its last full inspection on 8 October 2024.

How good are The Willows School's SATs results?

In summer 2025, 26% of Year 6 children reached the expected level in reading, writing and maths. Across England it was 63%. 0% went further and reached the higher level.

How many pupils does The Willows School have?

106 pupils aged 4 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 80 places, so it is 133% full.

What is attendance like at The Willows School?

Pupils were in school 91.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 36% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.

Does The Willows School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It is a special school for social, emotional and mental health. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

Does The Willows School have a breakfast club?

Yes. It is on the government's free breakfast club programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Stipularis Drive, Hayes, UB4 9QB
Telephone
020 8841 7176
Website
www.thewillowsschoolacademytrust.co.uk
Headteacher
Malcolm Shaw
Free breakfast club
Yes: on the government's programme, so every pupil can have a free half-hour breakfast club before school (listed since September 2026).
Type of school
Special academy (Academy special converter, academies)
Phase
Special school, ages 4-11
Gender
Mixed
Single-academy trust
The Willows School Academy Trust (1 schools)
Local authority
Hillingdon
Ward
Yeading
Constituency
Hayes and Harlington
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 November 2011 (academy converter)
URN
137652 · LAESTAB 3127002 · UKPRN 10035664
Formerly
The Willows School

Where these figures come from