Willow Tree Primary School
Willow Tree Primary School is a converter academy in Watford for boys and girls aged 3 to 11. It has 185 pupils and room for 274. About 29 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, a bit more than at most schools. Ofsted's last grade was requires improvement, back in 2023.
Tolpits Lane, Watford, WD18 6LL01923 225188willowtree.herts.sch.ukMiss Tanya Mortlock headteacherAll details
What Ofsted found
Ofsted's last full inspection was on 19 April 2023, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.
Requires improvement overall.
Results
Year 6 results (SATs), summer 2025
30 children took the tests. Here is how they did against every state primary in England. These are the results of Holywell Primary School, the school this one replaced.
All Year 6 measures, year by year
| Measure | 2025† | 2024† | 2023† | 2019† | 2018† | 2017† | Hertfordshire | England |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils tested | 30 | 43 | 38 | 81 | 55 | 56 | – | – |
| Reached the expected level at 11Expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 33% | 67% | 50% | 58% | 44% | 50% | 64% | 63% |
| Working above the expected levelHigher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 9% | 0% | 7% | 15% | 11% | 10% | 8% |
| Reading scoreReading average scaled score | 100.0 | 105.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 102.0 | 101.0 | 106.6 | 105.6 |
| Maths scoreMaths average scaled score | 97.0 | 107.0 | 101.0 | 104.0 | 101.0 | 100.0 | 105.2 | 104.6 |
| Grammar and spelling scoreGPS average scaled score | 100.0 | 108.0 | 102.0 | 105.0 | 104.0 | 104.0 | 106.1 | 105.2 |
| Expected level: readingReading expected standard | 57% | 74% | 63% | 67% | 64% | 59% | – | – |
| Expected level: mathsMaths expected standard | 40% | 77% | 55% | 73% | 51% | 61% | – | – |
| Expected level: writingWriting expected standard (teacher assessed) | 57% | 72% | 68% | 81% | 82% | 79% | – | – |
| Reading progressReading progress score | – | – | -2.0 | -0.6 | -0.1 | -0.2 | – | – |
| Maths progressMaths progress score | – | – | -2.2 | +0.3 | -1.1 | -1.6 | – | – |
| Expected level: low-income pupilsExpected standard, disadvantaged | 10% | 43% | 21% | 52% | 22% | 37% | – | – |
| Expected level: other pupilsExpected standard, non-disadvantaged | 45% | 79% | 67% | 61% | 54% | 62% | – | – |
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.
† These results are for Holywell Primary School, the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
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. 1 of the 4 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.
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 (23 offers for 30 places).
| Entry | Places | Applied at all | Got a place | How far the last child lived | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Primary | 30 | 54 | 23 | – all offered | LA |
Who goes here
Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.
Infant classes (Reception to Year 2) average 19.0 pupils (England 25.5); junior classes (Years 3 to 6) average 22.7 (England 27.3).
The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: Autistic spectrum disorder (9), language and communications needs (8), emotional and mental health (6), Moderate learning difficulty (3), Specific learning difficulty (3), Physical disability (1).
Attendance and behaviour
In 2024/25 pupils were in school 93.4% 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 | 6.6% | 7.8% | 8.4% | 8.6% | 4.6% | 5.0% | 5.2% |
| Missed with permissionAuthorised absence | 5.1% | 5.0% | 4.9% | 5.1% | 3.0% | 3.3% | – |
| Missed without permissionUnauthorised absence | 1.5% | 2.8% | 3.5% | 3.5% | 1.5% | 1.7% | – |
| Pupils missing a lot of schoolPersistent absence | 14.5% | 22.8% | 28.0% | 29.5% | 10.5% | 14.3% | 12.8% |
† These attendance figures are for Holywell Primary School, the school this one replaced in December 2025. Same building and the same children. It got a new registration number, usually because it joined an academy trust.
Money
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 Anthony's Catholic Primary School | Roman Catholic | 410 m | 448 | Report card 2026 | 65 | Compare |
| Ascot Road Primary School | Free school | 650 m | 391 | Good 2024 | 20 | Compare |
| Laurance Haines School | Academy | 810 m | 463 | Not inspected | 71 | Compare |
| Chater Infant School | Council | 0.8 miles | 223 | Good 2024 | 35 | Compare |
| Chater Junior School | Council | 0.9 miles | 237 | No overall grade 2024 | 38 | Compare |
| Malvern Way Infant and Nursery School | Council | 1.1 miles | 240 | No overall grade 2025 | 98 | Compare |
| Watford Field School (Infant & Nursery) | Council | 1.1 miles | 231 | Report card 2026 | 7 | Compare |
| Field Junior School | Council | 1.1 miles | 244 | Not inspected | 95 | Compare |
Questions parents ask
Is Willow Tree Primary School a good school?
Willow Tree Primary School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it requires improvement at its last inspection in April 2023.
What is Willow Tree Primary School's Ofsted rating?
Ofsted rated Willow Tree Primary School requires improvement at its last full inspection on 19 April 2023.
How good are Willow Tree Primary School's SATs results?
In summer 2025, 33% 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 Willow Tree Primary School have?
185 pupils aged 3 to 11 were on the roll in January 2026. It has 274 places, so it is 68% full.
What is attendance like at Willow Tree Primary School?
Pupils were in school 93.4% of the time in 2024/25. Similar schools in England managed 94.8%. 15% of pupils missed at least a tenth of the year.
How big are the classes at Willow Tree Primary School?
The average class had 20.8 pupils in January 2026. Across England it was 25.4. No class had more than 30 pupils.
These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.
Contact and details
- Address
- Tolpits Lane, Watford, WD18 6LL
- Telephone
- 01923 225188
- Website
- www.willowtree.herts.sch.uk
- Headteacher
- Miss Tanya Mortlock
- Type of school
- Converter academy (Academy converter, academies)
- Phase
- Primary school, ages 3-11, with nursery
- Gender
- Mixed
- Multi-academy trust
- Inclusive Multi Academy Trust (4 schools)
- Local authority
- Hertfordshire
- Ward
- Holywell
- Constituency
- Watford
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1 December 2025 (academy converter)
- URN
- 151528 · LAESTAB 9192349 · UKPRN 10097238
- Formerly
- Holywell Primary 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.
- 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: Hertfordshire council's published allocation statistics (source), entry years 2026.
- 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.