Willow Vale School
Special / other · Taunton · TA1 2JD
Data updated
Earlier grade, confirmed by a later ungraded inspection
Ofsted's most recent (ungraded) visit confirmed the school remains Good. Ungraded inspections do not award a new grade.
Inspected 2 May 2024
Read the Ofsted report ↗At a glance
60 pupils · 80% of 75 capacity (January 2026 census)
- School type
- Pupil referral unit
- Age range
- 5–16
- Gender
- Mixed
- Free school meals
- 61.7% of pupils (January 2026)
- English as additional language
- 42.4% of pupils (2024/2025)
- SEN support
- 23.7% of pupils (2024/2025)
- EHC plan
- 22% of pupils (2024/2025)
- Website
- www.willowvale.org.uk
- URN
- 134758
In figures
An ungraded Ofsted inspection on 2 May 2024 confirmed its earlier grade, Good. It had 60 pupils at the 15 January 2026 census.
Pupils by ethnicity (January 2026)
White British 58% (Somerset 78%, England 73%) · Any other White background 10% (Somerset 8%, England 3%) · Any other ethnic group 8% (Somerset 3%, England 2%) · Not recorded 8% (Somerset 5%, England 3%) · Mixed White and Black African 5% (Somerset 2%, England 1%) · Asian Pakistani 3% (Somerset 1%, England 2%) · Mixed White and Asian 3% (Somerset 2%, England 1%) · Any other Asian background 2% (Somerset 1%, England 1%) · Black Caribbean 2% (Somerset 1%, England 2%)
Source: DfE schools, pupils and their characteristics, January 2026 census · how to read these figures
Staffing
Full-time-equivalent, 2025/26.
Teacher retention (2024/25)
50% of teachers stayed at the school the following year · 36% moved to another state school · 14% left the state-funded sector
Vacancies (November 2025)
0% of teaching posts vacant, 14.71% filled temporarily · England, special schools and PRUs: 0.68% vacant, 1.02% temporary
Teacher sickness absence (reported in the November 2024 census)
82.4% of teachers took sickness absence, 20.5 days each on average · England, all state-funded schools: 61.8%, 8.1 days
Teacher pay (November 2025)
Mean salary of full-time qualified teachers £48,665; 21.4% on the leadership pay range · England, special schools and PRUs: £53,604, 18.3%
Vacancies, sickness and pay, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Source: DfE School Workforce Census · how these figures are counted
Spending per pupil (2025-26)
Where the money went (2025-26)
Share of spending, with the median for pupil referral unit schools in brackets: Staff 68% (78%) · premises 2% (4%) · occupation (energy, rates, cleaning) 4% (4%) · supplies and services 26% (11%) · educational supplies 13% (3%) · bought-in professional services 12% (5%) · catering 2% (1%)
Reserves (2025-26)
Revenue reserve -£71,915; in-year balance +£54,790
Spending and reserves, last three years Premium
Premium shows the same figures for each of the last three years.
Unlock with SchoolFacts Premium →Higher spending is not a measure of quality. Source: council-maintained school finance return, 2025-26, DfE · how spending is compared
Inspection history since 2015
- 1 May 2024: School remains Good
- 20 September 2018: School remains Good
Source: Ofsted management information · ungraded visits and the two inspection systems
The area around the school
- Child poverty (IDACI)
- 3/10more deprived than most of England
- Overall deprivation (IMD)
- 3/10more deprived than most of England
| Census 2021 | This area | England |
|---|---|---|
| Adults with a degree or higher | 22.3% | 33.9% |
| Adults with no qualifications | 19% | 18.1% |
| In managerial or professional work | 22.9% | 33.2% |
| Households deprived in two or more ways | 22% | 18.1% |
| Residents in very good health | 44.3% | 48.5% |
| Homes owned by the occupier | 46.5% | 62.3% |
| Social housing | 39.8% | 17.1% |
| Privately rented | 13.6% | 20.5% |
| Detached houses | 3.7% | 22.9% |
| Flats | 22.2% | 22.2% |
| Homes with four or more bedrooms | 7.3% | 21.1% |
| Households with no car or van | 23.8% | 23.5% |
These figures describe the area, not the pupils. Source: Census 2021 (ONS) and English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG) for small area E01029280 · how to read area figures
What homes cost nearby
- Median sale price
- £245,000482 sales within 1 km, January 2024 to September 2026
- Typical range
- £195,000–£310,500the middle half of sales
- England median
- £300,000all sales over the same period
Homes around this school are cheaper than most school neighbourhoods in England, comparing the median within 1 km across every state school.
Source: HM Land Registry sales within 1 km since January 2024 · how sales are counted. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Postcodes located with OS Code-Point Open: contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026; contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026; contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Roads around the school
- Child pedestrian casualties
- 2an urban school averages 2.0
- Collisions at school-run times
- 5an urban school averages 5.7
- All reported collisions
- 14an urban school averages 30.5
- Of those, serious or fatal
- 4an urban school averages 6.1
A high count usually reflects traffic, not an unsafe school. Source: DfT road casualty statistics (STATS19), collisions within 500 m, 2021–2025 · what is counted