Willowfield School
“Pupils enjoy their education at Willowfield School.”
Ofsted 2021
“Pupils do well at school.”
Ofsted 2021
Welcome from the Headteacher
It is my great pleasure to welcome you to our prospectus and introduce you to Willowfield School.
• Willowfield school exists to serve children. Children get one chance at education, and it is our responsibility and privilege to ensure the educational experience for all children is rich and rewarding.
• Children come to Willowfield and are given excellent pastoral care, feel happy, are safe and experience an excellent curriculum.
• We develop our children as kind, curious, respectful, conscientious and independent young people who leave us ready to choose their futures and eager to embrace challenge.
Willowfield is very proud to have been serving our community; educating, and caring for children for over 100 years. Willowfield is a happy, oversubscribed and financially secure school doing great work – as was so clearly identified in the October 2021 OFSTED inspection and as shown by our recent exam results. Such is our popularity that we have expanded and have an exciting building project that is nearing completion and will provide us with even more exemplary facilities.
Willowfield is characterised by great relationships; every member of our community is part of the Willowfield family. The school ethos and values are centred on developing our young people as great citizens and this infuses the whole curriculum and learning experience. We have a happy, dedicated, and excellent staff team who work tirelessly for our children.
We have strong partnerships with local schools and colleges and are involved in many community projects.
We are a mixed 11 to 16 comprehensive school within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Willowfield is a truly inclusive and international multicultural school. There are around 50 different languages spoken in the homes of our pupils. The school welcomes and celebrates this diversity that helps make us the school we are.
Teaching groups are mainly mixed attainment, with some setting in Mathematics and Science. The special educational needs of pupils are met mainly through in-class support, although there is some extraction for intensive help with literacy and numeracy. Key Stage 3 lasts three years ensuring our young people have depth and breadth of experience before moving onto GCSE courses in year 10. At Key Stage 4, all pupils follow a humanities course (either History or Geography) in addition to the core subjects and choose a further three options from a wide range including Art, Astronomy, Computing, Drama, Enterprise, Food, French, Media Studies, Music, Photography, Physical Education, Religious Studies, Spanish, Sociology, Textiles and 3D Design.
All children follow a comprehensive and diverse PSHE curriculum and are encouraged to attend our extensive extra-curricular programme.
Rebecca Linden Headteacher
“At the end of the Willowfield experience, our students can compete with anyone, anywhere, professionally and personally, in the world that is their future.”
A safe and happy
learning community
“Pupils feel safe at school because teachers look after them.” Ofsted
2021
Life at Willowfield is characterised by purposeful learning under-pinned by mutual respect. It is an environment where staff and pupils enjoy happy, harmonious and very productive relationships. This atmosphere is key to our success and stems from the great pastoral support and care every pupil receives, making them feel valued and nurtured.
“Pupils’ well-being is a top priority for leaders.”
Ofsted 2021
A great place to
learn and thrive
“Much has been done to review and revise the curriculum. As a result, subjects are planned well. They are carefully sequenced and identify the components that pupils need to learn to reach clear end points.” Ofsted 2021
We have the highest expectations of all pupils in all areas of their development and will not allow them to settle for ordinary.
Great learning and teaching are at the heart of everything we do at Willowfield. In years 7, 8 and 9, the curriculum is planned to be diverse and inclusive, but also stretches and challenges pupils, enabling them to grow and develop as curious and confident learners – preparing them for the challenges ahead in Years 10 and 11.
In years 10 and 11, pupils go onto study subjects related to their areas of strength, interest or possible future career pathways.
The Willowfield curriculum is based upon the fundamental principles of equality, inclusivity, diversity, democracy, and mutual support.
Within and across subjects and tutorial time, our curriculum provides pupils with powerful knowledge, deep understanding, and effective skills to keep them safe and healthy, as well as engender a lifelong love of learning.
Our rich and relevant curriculum develops pupils as critical thinkers, powerful communicators, and confident, caring and active citizens. It explores cultures and perspectives, within and outside the classroom, on a personal, local, national, and global level. It challenges, supports, and inspires pupils, igniting their imagination, prompting awe and wonder, and catalysing critical thinking, creativity, and innovation, through collaborative dialogue, experimentation, problem-solving and discovery.
We are proud of the young adults from Willowfield who leave us at the end of year 11. They go on to the next phase of their life into college, work and university as confident and successful young adults.
“The support for students with SEND is effective.”
Ofsted 2021
“Pupils are given work that helps them to learn and be successful in later life.”
Ofsted 2021
Great citizens and well-rounded
young adults
Enabling our pupils to achieve the best examination results they will need is key to our work, but not the only purpose of the curriculum and wider school experience. We aim to develop every learner holistically. We are committed to nurturing all our pupils into thoughtful and active citizens able to play a full part in the 21st century world they will be living and working in.
“Pupils have opportunities to contribute to the life of the school through the ambassadors’ programme.”
Ofsted 2021
An inclusive, local
community school
“What I love most about working at Willowfield is how diverse we are. Being exposed to the different cultures, languages, and customs makes the experience of working here unique and highly rewarding.” Ms Ahmedzai, Subject Leader Ethics
We are proud to be a local community school that gives all our pupils the best possible start in life. Our inclusive ethos is characterised by a striking culture of mutual respect and support. Willowfield pupils are happy, effective learners who make great progress. We have strong partnerships with local schools and colleges and are involved in many community projects.
Pupils from all backgrounds and abilities are welcomed and flourish within a safe and caring environment at Willowfield. We use a wide range of information about our young people to plan learning experiences that closely meet their needs and excite them, and we listen to their views on our teaching and their learning, and act on these to continuously improve our provision.
“Pupils are taught how to stay safe online… as well as how to avoid the negative effects of social media.”
Ofsted 2021
“Ethics and citizenship lessons, and assemblies, teach pupils about the wider world, for example how government works, mental health and eating healthily.”
Ofsted 2021
Great relationships
“Procedures for identifying safeguarding concerns are clear-cut so that issues are dealt with swiftly.”
Ofsted 2021
We expect the very best in terms of courtesy and respect from our pupils and they rise to meet our high expectations. Life at Willowfield is characterised by calm and purposeful learning, under-pinned by mutual respect. It is an environment where staff and pupils enjoy happy, harmonious and trusting relationships. This atmosphere is key to our success and stems from the great support and care every pupil receives, making them feel valued, listened and cared for. We believe a school is about more than just qualifications and that a safe and happy learner is an effective and successful learner.
“Willowfield has a real warm and family atmosphere. I’ve never worked in a school that cares about its young people like this place does. I’ve also learned that this is not by accident, this is part of the culture of our school.”
Mr Morgan, Achievement Leader
“Leaders often go the extra mile to ensure vulnerable pupils benefit from opportunities.”
Ofsted
2021
“Pupils behave well… know what is expected and follow the school’s rules. They move around the school calmly and sensibly. The building is clean, tidy and well-kept, a testament to the pride pupils take in their school.”
Ofsted 2021
the classroom Beyond
“Pupils welcome the range of after-school clubs... after-school activities, visits, trips and themed weeks.”
Ofsted 2021
There is a broad and interesting extra-curricular programme on offer to all pupils.
Pupils are encouraged to engage and explore, and our Artsmark Award reflects the range and quality of creative activities they can access. There are many opportunities to take on responsibilities and we have an active pupil leadership team that plays a real role in helping shape the direction of the school.
Our partnerships with parents and carers are key to the happiness and success of our pupils. We value highly the support we receive from our parents and carers, and pride ourselves on the work we do with them to keep their children safe, happy and achieving well.
We celebrate success and ensure that parents and carers are kept informed about their child’s progress throughout their time with us.
Sometimes pupils need some additional support to flourish and manage themselves effectively. We are committed to working closely with pupils and their families to develop strategies to help them fulfil their potential, overcoming any challenges to their happiness, learning and progress.
“The careers education programme is comprehensive and provides pupils with independent advice about the next steps in their lives.”
Ofsted 2021
“At
the end of the Willowfield experience, our students can compete with anyone, anywhere, professionally and personally, in the world that is their future.”
