Ofsted: Good trending_up Popular emoji_events #3 in West Berkshire public Top 9% UK

The Willink School

verifiedData: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

personMs N Browning

location_onReading, RG7 3XJ

language Visit Website phone 1189832030

verified

Ofsted

Good

Inspected 2018

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Students

1,250

trending_up

Attainment 8

51.9

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GCSE Rank

#3 in West Berkshire

#723 of 3,216 nationally

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The Willink School is a Community school secondary school in Reading, serving ages 11-18. Rated Good by Ofsted. Demand is above capacity (1.1×) — apply through your local authority on time.

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School Summary

The Willink School is a community school in Reading, West Berkshire, admitting pupils aged 11-18. It has a sixth form offering post-16 education. The school has approximately 1,233 pupils on roll, of whom 14% are eligible for free school meals.

In 2025, pupils achieved an Attainment 8 score of 51.9, placing the school #3 in West Berkshire and #723 of 3,216 nationally. 57.10% of pupils achieved grade 5 or above in English and Maths. 24.8% of all GCSE entries were graded 9–7.

The sixth form offers 24 A-level subjects. 47.6% of A-level entries were graded A*–B, with 28.7% at A*–A. A-level value added: +0.15 — students made above-average progress at sixth form.

Ofsted last inspected the school in 2018. The school's current overall rating is Good.

The school is oversubscribed — in the most recent cycle, there were 1.1× as many applications as places, making a successful application competitive.

The pupil-to-qualified-teacher ratio is 16.0:1. There are no current teaching vacancies.

In the 2024/25 academic year, there were no permanent exclusions. The average suspension rate was 5.4 per 1,000 pupils per term.

verified Source: DfE 2024/25–2025/26 · Ofsted

Academic Performance

verified Data: UK Gov 2024/25

analytics

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

2025

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

51.9

Grade 5+ E&M

57.10%

Grade 9–7 (all GCSEs)24.8%

Entering EBacc91.60%

EBacc APS5.02

2024

Progress 8 Score

0.04

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

49.1

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc87.60%

EBacc APS4.72

2023

Progress 8 Score

0.31

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

51.3

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc84%

EBacc APS4.89

2022

Progress 8 Score

0.36

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

57.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc90%

EBacc APS5.5

2021

Progress 8 Score

Attainment 8

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc93%

EBacc APS-

2019

Progress 8 Score

0.41

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

55.9

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc93%

EBacc APS5.41

2018

Progress 8 Score

0.38

vs National Avg

Attainment 8

54.7

Grade 5+ E&M

Entering EBacc89%

EBacc APS5.27

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Student Destinations (After Secondary)

This module shows what students did after finishing Key Stage 4 (GCSEs). It reflects how well the school prepares pupils for the real world.

2025

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)91%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2024

Stayed in Education / Employment

97%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment3%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2023

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)90%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment2%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

2022

Stayed in Education / Employment

95%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)94%

Apprenticeships1%

Employment0%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)3%

2021

Stayed in Education / Employment

98%

Education (e.g. Sixth Form/College)88%

Apprenticeships5%

Employment5%

Not in Education / Employment (NEET)1%

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Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

A-level results for students who stayed in sixth form at this school. Value added measures how much progress students made relative to their GCSE starting point.

2025

A-Level Value Added

+0.15

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make above-average progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

B-

Students

108

Grade Breakdown

Achieving A*10.5%

Achieving A*–A28.7%

Achieving A*–B47.6%

VA Banding Above average

Retention rate99.1%

A-level subjects offered24

2024

A-Level Value Added

-0.05

vs expected from GCSEs

Pupils make broadly expected progress at A-level.

Avg Grade

C+

Students

119

Retention rate94.10%

2023

Avg Grade

C+

Students

Retention rate98.00%

2022

Avg Grade

Students

Retention rate100.0%

Source: DfE A Level and Other 16-18 Results

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Report Archive

04 October 2023

Inspection Report

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12 June 2018

Inspection Report

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06 February 2014

Inspection Report

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30 May 2012

Inspection Report

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21 September 2010

Inspection Report

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14 January 2009

Inspection Report

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15 October 2007

Inspection Report

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19 October 2005

Inspection Report

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13 September 1999

Inspection Report

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Inspection Report

Inspection History

3 Evaluations

2018-06-12

None Legacy

No Judgement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

Development

Leadership

2014-02-06

S5 Inspection Legacy

Good

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

2012-05-30

None EIF

Requires improvement

Education

No Judgement

Behaviour

No Judgement

Development

No Judgement

Leadership

Good

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

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Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Official Department for Education (DfE) data. Suspensions measure temporary removals due to behavior, while exclusions represent permanent removals.

Suspension Rate

5.5%per term

sentiment_satisfied Below Average (Good)

National average: 7.3% for this term (secondary).

Pupils Suspended 1+ Times

3.0%(37 pupils)

Spring term 2025

Represents the proportion of unique students suspended at least once in this term.

Permanent Exclusions

0pupils

verified Excellent (Zero)

National average: 7.398% of pupils excluded per term.

Pastoral Context: In the Spring term of 2025, this school served a headcount of 1,233 pupils. During this period, there were 68 temporary suspensions. The school's suspension rate was 5.5%, which is below the termly national average of 7.3%.

View Historical Disciplinary Records (2017–2025)keyboard_arrow_down

Year / Term	Headcount	Suspensions	Susp. Rate	Nat. Avg	Perm. Excl.
2024/25 (Spring term)	1,233	68	5.5%	7.3%	0
2024/25 (Autumn term)	1,239	66	5.3%	7.8%	0
2023/24 (Summer term)	1,255	41	3.3%	7.4%	0
2023/24 (Spring term)	1,255	38	3.0%	7.1%	1
2023/24 (Autumn term)	1,250	36	2.9%	8.2%	0
2022/23 (Summer term)	1,238	34	2.7%	6.6%	0
2022/23 (Spring term)	1,250	30	2.4%	6.4%	0
2022/23 (Autumn term)	1,253	36	2.9%	5.9%	0
2021/22 (Summer term)	1,205	22	1.8%	4.7%	0
2021/22 (Spring term)	1,218	28	2.3%	4.9%	0
2021/22 (Autumn term)	1,207	19	1.6%	4.4%	1
2020/21 (Summer term)	1,150	7	0.6%	3.6%	0
2020/21 (Spring term)	1,146	6	0.5%	1.0%	0
2020/21 (Autumn term)	1,151	22	1.9%	3.9%	1
2019/20 (Summer term)	1,117	0	0.0%	0.0%	0
2019/20 (Spring term)	1,117	15	1.3%	3.2%	0
2019/20 (Autumn term)	1,122	12	1.1%	4.2%	0
2018/19 (Summer term)	1,084	7	0.6%	3.1%	0
2018/19 (Spring term)	1,083	10	0.9%	3.8%	0
2018/19 (Autumn term)	1,080	15	1.4%	3.8%	0
2017/18 (Summer term)	1,028	13	1.3%	3.4%	0
2017/18 (Spring term)	1,028	3	0.3%	3.0%	0
2017/18 (Autumn term)	1,032	9	0.9%	3.7%	0
2016/17 (Summer term)	1,010	8	0.8%	3.0%	0
2016/17 (Spring term)	1,013	17	1.7%	3.3%	1
2016/17 (Autumn term)	1,020	17	1.7%	3.1%	0

Source: DfE Suspensions and Permanent Exclusions in England. Data represents termly statistics as published by the Department for Education.

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Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Primary areas of need currently supported by the school. A high number often indicates specialized internal units or high staff experience in these areas.

Specific Learning Difficulty 72 pupils

Autistic Spectrum Disorder 58 pupils

Social, Emotional & Mental Health 41 pupils

Speech, Language & Communication 26 pupils

Hearing Impairment 15 pupils

Moderate Learning Difficulty 13 pupils

Other Difficulty/Disability 5 pupils

Physical Disability 3 pupils

Visual Impairment 2 pupils

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The Willink School

School Summary

Academic Performance

Secondary Performance Trends (KS4)

Student Destinations (After Secondary)

Sixth Form (A-Level) Performance

Ofsted History

Publication Timeline

Inspection History

Admissions Insight

How Places Are Allocated

Distance to School

School Capacity

Secondary Admission Trends

Students & School Environment

School Size

Language Diversity

Inclusive Support

Attendance

Ethnicity Breakdown

Wellbeing, SEN & Pastoral Care

Behaviour & Discipline (Suspensions & Exclusions)

Supported Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Funding & Staffing

School Funding Allocation

Funding Breakdown

Staffing

Teacher Turnover

Top Secondary Schools in West Berkshire

St Bartholomew's School

Park House School

Little Heath School

Denefield School

Kennet School

Trinity School