The Willows School and Early Years Centre
Fishermead Boulevard, Fishermead, Milton Keynes, MK6 2LP
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Community school
- Ages
- 0 to 7
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Mrs Joanna Orbell
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Constituency
- Milton Keynes Central
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 225
- Pupils on roll
- 174
- URN
- 110379
- Local authority
- Milton Keynes
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01908528803
About this school
The Willows School and Early Years Centre is a community primary school in Milton Keynes. It teaches children aged 0 to 7 and has 174 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected The Willows School and Early Years Centre, and its latest judgement is set out below. Where the Department for Education has published them, its results and pupil characteristics appear below. Seeing a school for yourself shows what no page can, so arrange a visit before you apply.
Ofsted judgement
Confirmed by a short inspection, not a full one
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 4 July 2023, where inspectors confirmed the school remains Good. The school's last full inspection took place before September 2019, so its area grades are not part of Ofsted's current published data. Older reports are on the school's Ofsted page.
Trends over time
How The Willows School and Early Years Centre has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 6.4% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 6.5% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.9% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 183 |
| 2023/24 | 193 |
| 2024/25 | 188 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How The Willows School and Early Years Centre compares
Its absence rate was lower than 40% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | — | 5.9% | 31% | 174 | — |
| Orchard Academy | 52% | 4.6% | 46% | 294 | 0.2 miles |
| Jubilee Wood Primary School | 65% | 3.6% | 39.2% | 508 | 0.4 miles |
| Shepherdswell Academy | — | 4.7% | 21.5% | 108 | 0.4 miles |
| Falconhurst School | 64% | 5.3% | 50% | 268 | 0.4 miles |
| Oldbrook First School and Nursery | — | 5.9% | 33.1% | 181 | 0.8 miles |
Results reflect each school's cohort as much as its teaching, and free school meals share is context, not a judgement. Small gaps between neighbouring schools are rarely meaningful on their own.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 30.97%
- English as an additional language
- 37.8%
- Overall absence
- 5.9%
- Persistent absence
- 17.95%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Orchard Academy0.2 miles
Primary · Milton Keynes
-
Jubilee Wood Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Milton Keynes
-
Shepherdswell Academy0.4 miles
Primary · Milton Keynes
-
Falconhurst School0.4 miles
Primary · Milton Keynes
-
Oldbrook First School and Nursery0.8 miles
Primary · Milton Keynes
Other schools in Milton Keynes
- Abbeys Primary School Primary
- Ashbrook School Primary
- Barleyhurst Park Primary Primary
- Bishop Parker Catholic School Primary
- Bow Brickhill CofE VA Primary School Primary
- Bradwell Village School Primary
- Brooklands Farm Primary School Primary
- Brooksward School Primary
- Broughton Fields Primary School Primary
- Bushfield School Primary
- Caroline Haslett Primary School Primary
- Castlethorpe First School Primary
Common questions
- What ages does The Willows School and Early Years Centre teach?
- The Willows School and Early Years Centre teaches children aged 0 to 7. It is a primary school in Milton Keynes.
- Who is the headteacher of The Willows School and Early Years Centre?
- The headteacher of The Willows School and Early Years Centre is Mrs Joanna Orbell, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has The Willows School and Early Years Centre been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected The Willows School and Early Years Centre, and its latest judgement is set out in the inspection section on this page, with the framework and the date it was made.
- How many pupils are at The Willows School and Early Years Centre?
- The Willows School and Early Years Centre has 174 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 0 to 7.
- Is The Willows School and Early Years Centre full?
- The Willows School and Early Years Centre has capacity for 225 pupils and 174 on roll (77%), so it has space against its published capacity. Places are allocated through the local authority's admissions process, so capacity alone does not tell you whether a place is available.
- Is The Willows School and Early Years Centre a faith school?
- No. The Willows School and Early Years Centre has no designated religious character.
- Does The Willows School and Early Years Centre have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records The Willows School and Early Years Centre as having nursery classes.
- What is The Willows School and Early Years Centre's absence rate?
- The Willows School and Early Years Centre's overall absence rate is 5.9% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- Does The Willows School and Early Years Centre publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for The Willows School and Early Years Centre. That is usual for infant, nursery, special and independent schools, and for schools without recent published results.
School details come from the Department for Education's Get Information About Schools register. Inspection outcomes come from Ofsted, and exam results from the Department for Education's school performance service. This page was last updated on 29 June 2026.