Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre

What Ofsted said

From the inspection on 16 June 2026

Parents and carers overwhelmingly praise the care offered to their children at Ethelred Nursery. Staff support children to enter school calmly at the start of the day so that they happily join in with a range of different activities. Children are kept safe and can name a member of staff who would support them if they were worried about anything. Children develop warm relationships with staff and with each other. They play together harmoniously and learn to take turns during activities. If anything goes wrong, staff intervene quickly and talk gently to children to resolve the issue. Bullying rarely happens. Attendance is improving gradually year on year, but leaders know that it still needs to be worked on. Leaders have created a well-designed curriculum where the children’s learning builds as they move through the school. Staff’s knowledge of the curriculum and their use of it to inform teaching and learning needs further time to build and embed. Staff support children with barriers to learning in a range of different ways, including working in small groups to develop their language. Children and their families are offered caring pastoral support for wider issues. Children generally develop key foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in areas of the wider curriculum, teaching and learning are more variable. Staff sometimes do not engage children in careful interactions to develop their rich language. The activities provided are not always designed to draw children’s interest and deepen their learning. In spite of these issues, children do make progress from their starting points, and by the time children leave the school, they are generally well prepared for Reception. Children’s learning is enriched in a wide range of different ways. They visit local landmarks, theatres and the library, and they enjoy different festivals and celebrations in school with their families.

What the school should improve

• Leaders should ensure that they develop staff expertise and knowledge of the early years curriculum across all areas of learning.
• Leaders should ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of how to develop children’s use of rich language and that this is done consistently across all areas of learning.
• Leaders should ensure that they embed highly effective teaching across the school so that all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make consistent progress across the curriculum.
• Leaders should continue their work to improve attendance and lower persistent absence across the school.

Read the full Ofsted report (opens in a new tab)