Willow Grove Primary School
Willow Grove, Ashton-in-Makerfield, Wigan, WN4 8XF
- Phase
- Special schools
- School type
- Community special school
- Ages
- 5 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Headteacher
- Miss Lindsay Glover
- SEN provision
- SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health
- Constituency
- Makerfield
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 72
- Pupils on roll
- 68
- URN
- 132155
- Local authority
- Wigan
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01942727717
About this school
Willow Grove Primary School is a community special school in Wigan. It teaches children aged 5 to 11 and has 68 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Willow Grove Primary School, 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
Overall judgement at the last full inspection
This inspection took place under the previous framework, which gave a single overall grade. Ofsted now publishes report cards instead, so newer inspections of other schools will look different. How Ofsted report cards work
- Quality of education
- Good
- Behaviour and attitudes
- Good
- Personal development
- Good
- Leadership and management
- Good
- Safeguarding
- Effective
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 17 | 17 | 21 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 6% | 0% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| Expected standard in reading | 0% | 12% | 14% |
| Expected standard in maths | 0% | 6% | 0% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 0% | 12% | 0% |
| Average scaled score in reading | - | 94.0 | 93.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | - | 101.0 | 91.0 |
| Reading progress | -10.00 | - | - |
| Writing progress | -7.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -9.30 | - | - |
Progress measures ended nationally after the 2022/23 school year, when the key stage 1 assessments they were based on were stopped. Blank progress figures in later years are not missing school data.
Trends over time
How Willow Grove Primary School has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | Wigan average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 0% | 62.4% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 6% | 62.7% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 0% | 63.3% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 9.3% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 8.3% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 7% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64 |
| 2023/24 | 67 |
| 2024/25 | 73 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
Inspection history
- 18 April 2023
-
Ungraded inspection report11 November 2021
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 64.38%
- English as an additional language
- 0%
- Overall absence
- 6.97%
- Persistent absence
- 19.18%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Landgate School, Bryn1.5 miles
Special schools · Wigan
-
Ascent Autism Specialist College1.5 miles
Other types · St Helens
-
Martha H School1.9 miles
Special schools · Wigan
-
Learn 4 Life School2.1 miles
Special schools · Skelmersdale
-
Fix-It (UK) Ltd2.1 miles
Other types · Wigan
Other schools in Wigan
- Expanse Learning Wigan School Special schools
- Fir Tree College Other types
- Fix-It (UK) Ltd Other types
- Hope School Special schools
- Infinite Schools Wigan Special schools
- Landgate School, Bryn Special schools
- Martha H School Special schools
- My Life Learning Other types
- My Oasis Therapeutic Alternative Provision Special schools
- Newbridge Learning Community Special schools
- Oakfield High School and College Special schools
- Progress Arc Billinge School Special schools
Common questions
- What ages does Willow Grove Primary School teach?
- Willow Grove Primary School teaches children aged 5 to 11. It is a special school in Wigan.
- Who is the headteacher of Willow Grove Primary School?
- The headteacher of Willow Grove Primary School is Miss Lindsay Glover, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Willow Grove Primary School been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Willow Grove Primary School, 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 Willow Grove Primary School?
- Willow Grove Primary School has 68 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 11.
- Is Willow Grove Primary School full?
- Willow Grove Primary School has capacity for 72 pupils and 68 on roll (94%), 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 Willow Grove Primary School a faith school?
- No. Willow Grove Primary School has no designated religious character.
- What SEN provision does Willow Grove Primary School have?
- The schools register lists Willow Grove Primary School's special educational needs provision as: SEMH - Social, Emotional and Mental Health. Contact the school to discuss how it would support a particular child.
- How have Willow Grove Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 0% in 2022/23 and 0% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- What is Willow Grove Primary School's absence rate?
- Willow Grove Primary School's overall absence rate is 7% in the latest published census, above the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Willow Grove Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Willow Grove Primary School's key stage results are shown in the results section on this page, with the last three years so you can see the trend rather than a single year.
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 30 June 2026.