School Chooser

Willow Nursery School

Nursery · ages 2-5MixedLocal authority nursery school83 pupilsNurseryDunstableCentral Bedfordshire
School Chooser ScoreNot scoredWe don't score this type of school.
OfstedGoodLast Ofsted inspection, May 2024
Pupils from low-income families0%Far fewer than most schools
Pupils per teacher29.8School workforce census
Pupils on roll83Census January 2026

Willow Nursery School is a local authority nursery school in Dunstable for boys and girls aged 2 to 5. It has 83 pupils. About 0 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 2024.

Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, LU5 4QU01582 662600willownursery.co.ukMrs Leigh Davies headteacherAll details

What Ofsted found

Ofsted's last full inspection was on 22 May 2024, back when it gave schools one overall grade. Read the report on Ofsted's website.

Good overall.

TeachingOfsted calls this “quality of education”
Good
BehaviourOfsted calls this “behaviour and attitudes”
Outstanding
WellbeingOfsted calls this “personal development”
Good
LeadershipOfsted calls this “leadership and management”
Good
Safeguarding
Effective
Yes
Earlier inspections (1)
DateTypeOutcome
21 April 2023UngradedSchool remains Outstanding (Concerns) - S5 Next

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 Central Bedfordshire council's admissions booklet, send it to us.

Who goes here

Who the school teaches, from the latest school census.

Pupils on roll83Census January 2026
Pupils from low-income families0%0% have had free school meals at some point in the last six years
Pupils learning English45%First language is not English
Pupils getting extra support8%7 pupils with SEN support
Pupils with an EHC plan0%0 pupils with a plan
Boys and girls43 / 40
White British pupils43%

The most common needs among pupils getting extra support: language and communications needs (5), emotional and mental health (1).

How the mix of pupils has changed
Census202620252024202320222021
Pupils on roll8387101968988
Pupils from low-income familiesFree school meals0%0%0%0%0%0%
Pupils learning EnglishEnglish as an additional language45%16%7%16%17%19%
Pupils getting extra supportSEN support13%4%6%7%2%
Pupils with an EHC planEducation, health and care plans0%0%0%1%2%

Staff and money

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

Teachers2.3full-time equivalent, 3 people
Pupils per teacher29.8Pupils for every full-time teacher
Fully qualified teachers100%hold qualified teacher status
Teaching assistants8.8full-time equivalent
Average teacher pay£54,863
Teachers who left in the year0%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£9,583England £7,738. Total £613k
Income per pupil£9,953England £7,697. Total £637k
Spent on teachers per pupil£2,751England £3,480
Money in reserve-1%In the red: -£7,197, -£112 per pupil. England 6%
Money in against money out+£24kit took in more than it spent this year
Where the money goes£9,583spent 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 m10512 months to June 2026, mostly violence and sexual offences
Local crime rate82 per 1,000 people10% lower than the England average
Typical house price£365,000Central Bedfordshire
Nearest bus stop180 mLinsell House, 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
Hadrian AcademyAcademy110 m394Good 202346Compare
The Vale AcademyAcademy160 m601No overall grade 202569Compare
Stannard SchoolIndependent260 m34Not inspectedCompare
St Christophers AcademyAcademy870 m388No overall grade 202522Compare
The Chalk Hills AcademyAcademy0.7 miles1,644Good 202349Compare
Chantry Primary AcademyAcademy0.7 miles631Good 202383Compare
Priory AcademyAcademy0.8 miles830Good 202346Compare
Southfield Primary AcademyAcademy0.9 miles405Good 202372Compare

Questions parents ask

Is Willow Nursery School a good school?

Willow Nursery School doesn't have a score yet. Ofsted rated it good at its last inspection in May 2024.

What is Willow Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Ofsted rated Willow Nursery School good at its last full inspection on 22 May 2024.

How many pupils does Willow Nursery School have?

83 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
Goldstone Crescent, Dunstable, LU5 4QU
Telephone
01582 662600
Website
www.willownursery.co.uk
Headteacher
Mrs Leigh Davies
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
Central Bedfordshire
Ward
Dunstable East
Constituency
Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard
Setting
Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
URN
109415 · LAESTAB 8231002

Where these figures come from