The Willows Primary School is an urban school in Ipswich, and prides itself in the care and wellbeing of all pupils; we have a Family Support Unit where nurture groups and pastoral care take place daily. The team build up a positive link between parents, pupils and the school by providing a friendly face and a listening ear. We currently have approximately 340 children on roll but we are a growing school. Most pupils are British but there has been an increase of EAL children joining the school recently which is enriching our community. Pupil attainment is higher than would be expected from an area such as ours, and staff and governors work in unison sharing the commitment to raise pupil aspirations for their future and to make a real difference to their lives.

The school prides itself on delivering a creative curriculum so that the children can learn with real-life activities. Pupils are taught both indoor and outdoor activities and these are linked to literacy and numeracy. Where possible staff enrich learning by inviting visitors into the classrooms and by planning well-linked trips to match both the schools development focuses and learning.

Our Outside Learning is supported by The Forest School. The children learn new skills such as cooking on fires, fire and knife safety and working with a range of natural materials, particularly willow which they harvest from our own site. Willow and Elder have been planted in the forest area to enable a sustainable resource for the children’s learning. The school also has an allotment with a recycled bottle green house and a thriving pond area which is used for science lessons.

We promote music and drama which builds the pupils’ confidence. All pupils from Year 4 to Year 6 learn a brass instrument and we have recently taken part in the highly-respected schools’ music celebrations at Snape Maltings.

We are all very proud of The Willows. We have high expectations of all pupils and know that every child has a right to an excellent education.