Willows Academy
Queensway, Grimsby, DN37 9AT
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy sponsor led
- Ages
- 3 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- DELTA ACADEMIES TRUST
- Principal
- Mrs Sarah Cox
- Religious ethos
- None
- Nursery provision
- Has Nursery Classes
- Sponsor
- Delta Academies Trust
- Constituency
- Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 150
- Pupils on roll
- 184
- URN
- 139420
- Local authority
- North East Lincolnshire
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 01472504450
About this school
Willows Academy is a primary academy in Grimsby. It teaches children aged 3 to 11 and has 184 pupils on roll.
Ofsted has inspected Willows Academy, 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
Ofsted's most recent visit was a short inspection on 20 November 2024, where inspectors found that standards have been maintained. 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.
Exam results
Key stage 2 (end of primary school)
| Measure | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pupils at the end of key stage 2 | 25 | 26 | 28 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 64% | 58% | 68% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 8% | 12% | 4% |
| Expected standard in reading | 68% | 69% | 71% |
| Expected standard in maths | 80% | 69% | 82% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 64% | 50% | 54% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 103.0 | 103.0 | 106.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 106.0 | 103.0 | 108.0 |
| Reading progress | -0.50 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +2.80 | - | - |
| Maths progress | +2.40 | - | - |
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 Willows Academy has moved over recent years against the local and national picture. Every figure is shown in the table beneath its chart.
| Year | This school | North East Lincolnshire average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 64% | 58.8% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 58% | 61.6% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 68% | 62% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 4.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 4.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 185 |
| 2023/24 | 180 |
| 2024/25 | 184 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Willows Academy compares
Willows Academy ranked 23rd of 43 primary schools in North East Lincolnshire for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 68% | 5% | 39.4% | 184 | — |
| Great Coates Primary School | 71% | 4.5% | 48.1% | 254 | 0.4 miles |
| Wybers Wood Academy | 85% | 3.8% | 15.5% | 380 | 0.5 miles |
| Yarborough Academy | 54% | 5.5% | 16.6% | 436 | 0.5 miles |
| Grange Primary School | 33% | 7.6% | 51.8% | 285 | 0.8 miles |
| Macaulay Primary Academy | 79% | 5.9% | 37.3% | 402 | 0.9 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)
- 39.41%
- English as an additional language
- 8.2%
- Overall absence
- 4.96%
- Persistent absence
- 12.9%
Location
Nearby schools
-
Great Coates Primary School0.4 miles
Primary · Grimsby
-
Wybers Wood Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Grimsby
-
Yarborough Academy0.5 miles
Primary · Grimsby
-
Grange Primary School0.8 miles
Primary · Grimsby
-
Macaulay Primary Academy0.9 miles
Primary · Grimsby
Other schools in Grimsby
Willows Academy ranks 21st of the 34 ranked primary schools in Grimsby.
- East Ravendale CofE Primary School Academy Primary
- Edward Heneage Primary Academy Primary
- Enfield Academy of New Waltham Primary
- Fairfield Academy Primary
- Grange Primary School Primary
- Great Coates Primary School Primary
- Healing Primary Academy Primary
- Holton-le-Clay Junior School Primary
- Humberston Cloverfields Academy Primary
- Keelby Primary Academy Primary
- Laceby Acres Primary Academy Primary
- Laceby Stanford Primary Academy Primary
Common questions
- What ages does Willows Academy teach?
- Willows Academy teaches children aged 3 to 11. It is a primary school in Grimsby.
- Who is the principal of Willows Academy?
- The principal of Willows Academy is Mrs Sarah Cox, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- Has Willows Academy been inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Willows Academy, 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 Willows Academy?
- Willows Academy has 184 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 3 to 11.
- Is Willows Academy full?
- Willows Academy has capacity for 150 pupils and 184 on roll (123%), so it is at or above 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 Willows Academy a faith school?
- No. Willows Academy has no designated religious character.
- Does Willows Academy have a nursery?
- Yes. The schools register records Willows Academy as having nursery classes.
- Is Willows Academy part of an academy trust?
- Willows Academy is part of DELTA ACADEMIES TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Willows Academy's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 64% in 2022/23 and 68% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Willows Academy compare with other schools in North East Lincolnshire?
- Willows Academy ranked 23rd of 43 primary schools in North East Lincolnshire for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 61% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 61% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Willows Academy's absence rate?
- Willows Academy's overall absence rate is 5% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Willows Academy's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Willows Academy'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 1 July 2026.