Willow Vale School
Byron Road, Taunton, TA1 2JD
- Phase
- Local authority maintained schools
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Ages
- 5 to 16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Area Headteacher
- Ms Kim Lawrence (Headteacher)
- Constituency
- Taunton and Wellington
- Setting
- Urban: Further from a major town or city
- Capacity
- 75
- Pupils on roll
- 60
- URN
- 134758
- Local authority
- Somerset
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01823349338
About this school
Willow Vale School is a special school in Taunton. It teaches children aged 5 to 16 and has 60 pupils on roll.
You can read Ofsted's latest judgement for the school 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 2 May 2024, 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 Willow Vale 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 |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 34 |
| 2023/24 | 59 |
| 2024/25 | 59 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
School context
From the 2024/25 school census and absence figures.
- Free school meals (last 6 years)
- 49.15%
- English as an additional language
- 42.4%
Location
Nearby schools
-
King's College Taunton0.5 miles
Independent schools · Taunton
-
Silver Bridge School0.5 miles
Special schools
-
The Sky Academy1.3 miles
Academies · Taunton
-
Queen's College1.6 miles
Independent schools · Taunton
-
Selworthy Special School1.6 miles
Academies · Taunton
Other schools in Taunton
- Cambian Somerset School Special schools
- Park House School Special schools
- Selworthy Special School Academies
- Somerset Progressive School Special schools
- The Sky Academy Academies
- Bishop Henderson Church of England Primary School, Taunton Primary
- Bishops Hull Primary School Primary
- Bishops Lydeard Church School Primary
- Blackbrook Primary School Primary
- Cheddon Fitzpaine Church School Primary
- Churchstanton Primary School Primary
- Cotford St Luke Primary School Primary
Common questions
- What year groups does Willow Vale School teach?
- Willow Vale School teaches children aged 5 to 16. It is a special school in Taunton.
- Who is the area headteacher of Willow Vale School?
- The area headteacher of Willow Vale School is Ms Kim Lawrence (Headteacher), as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Willow Vale School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Willow Vale 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 big is Willow Vale School?
- Willow Vale School has 60 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 5 to 16.
- Is Willow Vale School full?
- Willow Vale School has capacity for 75 pupils and 60 on roll (80%), 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 Vale School a faith school?
- No. Willow Vale School has no designated religious character.
- Does Willow Vale School publish exam results?
- OfferDay shows exam results for a school only where the Department for Education has published them, and none are shown for Willow Vale School. 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 1 July 2026.