Willowbank Primary School
Manitoba Gardens, Cullompton, EX15 1EZ
- Phase
- Primary
- School type
- Academy converter
- Ages
- 4 to 11
- Gender
- Mixed
- Trust
- THE FIRST FEDERATION TRUST
- Headteacher
- Sarah Bomby
- Sponsor
- The First Federation Trust
- Constituency
- Honiton and Sidmouth
- Setting
- Larger rural: Nearer to a major town or city
- Capacity
- 416
- Pupils on roll
- 241
- URN
- 145763
- Local authority
- Devon
- Website
- School website
- Telephone
- 0188433473
About this school
Willowbank Primary School is a primary academy in Cullompton. It teaches children aged 4 to 11 and has 241 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. Numbers and a report only go so far, so visit in person 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
- Early years
- 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 | 43 | 41 | 34 |
| Met the expected standard in reading, writing and maths | 58% | 41% | 56% |
| Reached the higher standard in reading, writing and maths | 12% | 0% | 9% |
| Expected standard in reading | 70% | 66% | 68% |
| Expected standard in maths | 67% | 61% | 62% |
| Expected standard in grammar, punctuation and spelling | 67% | 63% | 68% |
| Average scaled score in reading | 105.0 | 103.0 | 105.0 |
| Average scaled score in maths | 104.0 | 101.0 | 102.0 |
| Reading progress | +0.10 | - | - |
| Writing progress | +1.90 | - | - |
| Maths progress | -0.70 | - | - |
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 Willowbank 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 | Devon average | England average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 58% | 55% | 57.9% |
| 2023/24 | 41% | 54.9% | 58.8% |
| 2024/25 | 56% | 57.9% | 60.3% |
Department for Education KS2 performance data, published school results.
| Year | This school | England average |
|---|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 7.6% | 6.8% |
| 2023/24 | 5.9% | 6.6% |
| 2024/25 | 5.3% | 6.2% |
Department for Education pupil absence data.
| Year | This school |
|---|---|
| 2022/23 | 253 |
| 2023/24 | 249 |
| 2024/25 | 247 |
School census, spring count each academic year.
How Willowbank Primary School compares
Willowbank Primary School ranked 172nd of 269 primary schools in Devon for KS2 results in 2024/25. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25.
| School | KS2 RWM (2024/25) | Absence | FSM (6 years) | Pupils | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| This school | 56% | 5.3% | 19.4% | 241 | — |
| St Andrew's Primary School | 63% | 6.9% | 23.6% | 400 | 0.3 miles |
| The Duchy School Bradninch | 85% | 5.2% | 15.8% | 207 | 2.6 miles |
| Willand School | 58% | 5.3% | 15.4% | 408 | 2.7 miles |
| Kentisbeare Church of England Primary School | 64% | 3.9% | 5.3% | 172 | 3.3 miles |
| Plymtree Church of England Primary School | 22% | 7.2% | 25.9% | 54 | 3.5 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)
- 19.43%
- English as an additional language
- 4.5%
- Overall absence
- 5.32%
- Persistent absence
- 13.12%
Location
Nearby schools
-
St Andrew's Primary School0.3 miles
Primary · Cullompton
-
The Duchy School Bradninch2.6 miles
Primary · Exeter
-
Willand School2.7 miles
Primary · Cullompton
-
Kentisbeare Church of England Primary School3.3 miles
Primary · Cullompton
-
Plymtree Church of England Primary School3.5 miles
Primary · Cullompton
Other schools in Cullompton
Willowbank Primary School ranks 7th of the 8 ranked primary schools in Cullompton.
- Clyst Hydon Primary School Primary
- Culmstock Primary School Primary
- Hemyock Primary School Primary
- Kentisbeare Church of England Primary School Primary
- Plymtree Church of England Primary School Primary
- St Andrew's Primary School Primary
- Uffculme Primary School Primary
- Willand School Primary
- Cullompton Community College Secondary
- Uffculme School Secondary
Common questions
- What year groups does Willowbank Primary School teach?
- Willowbank Primary School teaches children aged 4 to 11. It is a primary school in Cullompton.
- Who is the headteacher of Willowbank Primary School?
- The headteacher of Willowbank Primary School is Sarah Bomby, as recorded in the Department for Education's register of schools.
- When was Willowbank Primary School last inspected?
- Ofsted has inspected Willowbank 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 big is Willowbank Primary School?
- Willowbank Primary School has 241 pupils on roll, teaching children aged 4 to 11.
- Is Willowbank Primary School full?
- Willowbank Primary School has capacity for 416 pupils and 241 on roll (58%), 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 Willowbank Primary School a faith school?
- No. Willowbank Primary School has no designated religious character.
- Does Willowbank Primary School have a nursery?
- No. The schools register records Willowbank Primary School as having no nursery classes.
- Who runs Willowbank Primary School?
- Willowbank Primary School is part of THE FIRST FEDERATION TRUST. Schools in a trust or federation share leadership and governance, but each keeps its own inspection record and results.
- How have Willowbank Primary School's results changed over recent years?
- Its share of pupils reaching the expected standard in reading, writing and maths was 58% in 2022/23 and 56% in 2024/25. The year-by-year figures, alongside local and national averages, are charted in the trends section on this page.
- How does Willowbank Primary School rank locally?
- Willowbank Primary School ranked 172nd of 269 primary schools in Devon for key stage 2 results. Its KS2 result was higher than 31% of England primary schools that published results in 2024/25. Its absence rate was lower than 52% of England schools in 2024/25. Results reflect each cohort as well as the school, so treat rankings as a starting point.
- What is Willowbank Primary School's absence rate?
- Willowbank Primary School's overall absence rate is 5.3% in the latest published census, at or below the England average of 6.2%.
- What are Willowbank Primary School's exam results?
- Where the Department for Education has published them, Willowbank 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 10 July 2026.