School Chooser

The Gill Blowers Nursery School

Nursery · ages 2-5MixedLocal authority nursery school120 pupilsNurseryLuton
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, January 2020
Pupils from low-income families14%Far fewer than most schools
Pupils per teacher20.3School workforce census
Pupils on roll120Census January 2026

The Gill Blowers Nursery School is a local authority nursery school in Luton for boys and girls aged 2 to 5. It has 120 pupils. About 14 in every 100 pupils come from a low-income family, far fewer than at most schools in England. Ofsted's last grade was good, back in 2020.

1 Mossdale Court, Teesdale, Luton, LU4 9JL01582 587350gillblowersnursery.co.ukMrs Joanne Iddenden headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 28 January 2020, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall. A later, shorter visit on 11 February 2025 said: “Improved significantly”.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Good
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Outstanding
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes

This inspection is more than 6 years old. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of one grade.

Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
11 February 2025UngradedImproved significantly

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 Luton council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll120Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families45%14% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English59%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support14%17 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls59 / 61
White British pupils18%

Specialist SEND provision. Resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) with 24 pupils, for severe learning difficulties.

To get a place in the unit or resourced provision, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school. Other schools in Luton with severe learning difficulties provision.

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (13), Other difficulty or disability (2), Autistic spectrum disorder (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll120131139134122136
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals45%35%52%64%55%52%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language59%64%63%56%50%52%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%15%19%11%8%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%1%2%2%0%

Staff and money

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

Teachers4.0full-time equivalent, 4 people
Pupils per teacher20.3Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants2.6full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£63,172
Teachers who left in the year27%2024/25, for any reason including retirement
Vacancies0

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£15,064England £7,738. Total £1.2m
Income per pupil£15,334England £7,697. Total £1.3m
Spent on teachers per pupil£3,220England £3,480
Money in reserve33%A lot put by: £419k, £5,114 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£22kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£15,064spent 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 m45412 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate68 per 1,000 people26% lower than the England average
Typical house price£310,000Luton
Nearest bus stop110 mAcworth Court, 21 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
Pirton Hill Primary SchoolCouncil600 m392Report card 202613Compare
Leagrave Primary SchoolFoundation630 m457Not inspected98Compare
King's House MoorlandsIndependent730 m190Not inspectedCompare
Al Hikmah Boys SchoolIndependent740 m141Not inspectedCompare
Challney High School for GirlsAcademy940 m1,062Outstanding 202085Compare
Beechwood Primary SchoolCouncil0.7 miles873Good 201924Compare
Waulud Primary SchoolCouncil0.8 miles446Good 202358Compare
Ferrars Junior SchoolAcademy0.8 miles350Good 202215Compare

Questions parents ask

Is The Gill Blowers Nursery School a good school?

The Gill Blowers Nursery School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in January 2020.

What is The Gill Blowers Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated The Gill Blowers Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 28 January 2020. That was more than four years ago. When Ofsted next visits, the school will get a report card instead of a single grade.

How many pupils does The Gill Blowers Nursery School have?

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

Does The Gill Blowers Nursery School have specialist SEND provision?

Yes. It has resourced provision (extra staff and funding within a mainstream school) for severe learning difficulties. To get a place there, a child normally needs an education, health and care plan (EHCP) that names the school.

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

Contact and details

Address
1 Mossdale Court, Teesdale, Luton, LU4 9JL
Telephone
01582 587350
Website
www.gillblowersnursery.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Joanne Iddenden
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
Luton
Ward
Leagrave
Constituency
Luton North
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
Opened
1 April 1994
URN
131175 · LAESTAB 8211023
Formerly
Lea Bank Nursery

Where these figures come from