School Chooser

Guildford Nursery School

Nursery · ages 2-5MixedLocal authority nursery school174 pupilsNurseryGuildfordSurrey
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedAs expected teachingOfsted report card, April 2026
Pupils from low-income families7%Far fewer than most schools
Pupils per teacher20.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll174Census January 2026

Guildford Nursery School is a local authority nursery school in Guildford for boys and girls aged 2 to 5. It has 174 pupils. About 7 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted visited in April 2026 and gave it a report card, which is below.

Hazel Avenue, Guildford, GU1 1NR01483 566589guildfordnscc.surrey.sch.ukSally Cave headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted visited on 28 April 2026. Instead of one overall word, it now gives a grade for each part of school life. Read the full report on Ofsted's website.

TeachingOfsted calls this “curriculum and teaching”
As expected
Achievement
Strong
Behaviour and attendanceOfsted calls this “attendance and behaviour”
Strong
Support for every childOfsted calls this “inclusion”
Strong
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development and wellbeing”
Strong
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and governance”
Strong
SafeguardingAre pupils kept safe?
Pupils are kept safe
Met
Ofsted's scale:ExceptionalStrong standardExpected standardNeeds attentionUrgent improvement

Ofsted says these new grades can't be lined up against the old one-word grades.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
10 November 2021UngradedSchool remains Good

Getting a place

Admissions policy not published.

Each council publishes its own figures on how many families applied and how far away the last child to get a place lived. We are adding councils one at a time. If you have a link to Surrey council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll174Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families12%7% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English34%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support20%34 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan5%8 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls98 / 76
White British pupils44%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (37), Physical disability (3), emotional and mental health (2).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll174182169169177168
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals12%14%12%16%15%17%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language34%30%34%33%38%30%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support18%16%22%18%11%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans2%5%4%3%6%

Staff and money

From the government's count of school staff in November 2025 and the school's published accounts.

Teachers7.0full-time equivalent, 10 people
Pupils per teacher20.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants24.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£53,687
Teachers who left in the year12%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0
Sick days per teacher1.92024/25

Money

From the council school accounts, year to March 2025. The per-pupil figures are compared with other primary schools in England that report their accounts the same way.

Spend per pupil£18,434England £7,738. Total £2.5m
Income per pupil£18,624England £7,697. Total £2.5m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,333England £3,480
Money in reserve19%A healthy amount put by: £469k, £3,497 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£25kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£18,434spent per pupil

Reserves are the money left over at the end of the year, kept back for emergencies and big projects. Being in the red year after year is a warning sign. Very large reserves can mean money sitting in the bank instead of being spent on today's pupils. Academy figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000 and include a share of any money the trust holds centrally.

The area around the school

Crimes within 500 m27112 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate104 per 1,000 people14% higher than the England average
Typical house price£500,000Guildford
Nearest bus stop60 mLime Grove, 18 stops within 500 m

Crime figures come from police.uk. The police record each crime at the nearest of a fixed set of map points rather than the exact spot, so “within 500 m” is only rough. House prices are from HM Land Registry sales nearby over the last two years.

Nearby schools

The closest schools, nearest first. Hover over a row to see it on the map.

Well aboveAboveIn lineBelowWell belowNot scored
SchoolTypeDistancePupilsOfstedScore
Pond Meadow SchoolAcademy170 m168Outstanding 2023Compare
Christ's College, GuildfordAcademy440 m641Good 202236Compare
Northmead Junior SchoolAcademy510 m352Good 202270Compare
Weyfield Primary AcademyAcademy720 m157Good 202348Compare
Stoughton Infant SchoolAcademy840 m294Good 202340Compare
The Hope ServicePupil referral unit0.8 miles0Outstanding 2023Compare
Wey Valley CollegeAcademy alternative provision converter1.1 miles19Outstanding 2024Compare
St Joseph's Catholic Primary SchoolAcademy1.1 miles717Good 202382Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Guildford Nursery School a good school?

Guildford Nursery School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted's report card from April 2026 rated its teaching as as expected.

What is Guildford Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted no longer gives schools one overall grade. When it visited on 28 April 2026 it rated teaching as as expected, achievement as strong, behaviour and attendance as strong, leadership as strong.

How many pupils does Guildford Nursery School have?

174 pupils aged 2 to 5 were on the roll in January 2026.

These answers come straight from the figures on this page and update when new data comes out.

Contact and details

Address
Hazel Avenue, Guildford, GU1 1NR
Telephone
01483 566589
Website
www.guildfordnscc.surrey.sch.uk
Headteacher
Sally Cave
Type of school
Local authority nursery school (Local authority nursery school, local authority maintained schools)
Phase
Nursery school, ages 2-5, with nursery
Gender
Mixed
Local authority
Surrey
Ward
Bellfields & Slyfield
Constituency
Guildford
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 September 2002 (result of amalgamation)
URN
133731 · LAESTAB 9361009
Formerly
Dene Nursery School, Shepherds Hill Nursery School

Where these figures come from