Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families, Bradford
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families is a nursery school for pupils aged 2 to 5 in Bradford. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2016. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2016)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families in detail
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families in its own words
From the headteacher's welcome: "We are an outstanding Nursery School with excellent facilities located at the heart of Canterbury estate in Bradford West Yorkshire. We work in close collaboration with Exceed schools and Bradford Maintained Nursery Schools to ensure we provide the best opportunities for our children and the community."
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include dance and forest school.
Headteacher's welcome (school website)Clubs (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Who goes there
8.6% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 56.2% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Asian (57%), White British (19%) and other ethnic groups (8%).
In 2026, 19 pupils (11.7%) received SEN support and 22 (13.6%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 16 places, 26 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Bradford Interchange Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.
10 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hudson Avenue Melba Rd (before), 120 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families stands in is among the 10% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 674 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Bradford (404), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 1 year agoThis judgement is from May 2016, 10 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
This school makes a real difference for children and families. Staff create a warm, nurturing environment where children feel safe, settle quickly and grow in confidence. The school is particularly skilled at supporting children with additional needs, providing specialist expertise and carefully designed activities that help every child succeed.
Key Strengths
- Exceptional care and support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, with highly-skilled staff working alongside specialist teams
- Carefully sequenced curriculum from birth to Reception with effective identification and support for any learning gaps
- Strong focus on communication, speech and language using signs, symbols and clear language to help children engage and learn
- Purposeful indoor and outdoor spaces with resources specifically chosen to develop physical skills and mathematical understanding
- Deep understanding of the community with meaningful family support including workshops, coffee mornings and regular progress updates
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective and protect children's wellbeing.
Extracurricular Activities
Forest school, baking, educational visits, well-being Wednesday, sensory activities, litter picking for community improvement
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families has maintained the outstanding standards from its previous inspection. Children are exceptionally well cared for in this inclusive setting where they thrive, build confidence and progress well from their individual starting points.
At a Glance
8.6%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: SpLD, Vision, Other +9
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby nursery schools
Keep up with Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
You apply to the council where you live. Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families is in Bradford; for families living there:
- Bradford's school travel policy: Home to school travel and transport policy for children of compulsory school age
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 65
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 15
- Children hurt
- 20
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 65 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 50 slight.
20 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 11 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise.
15 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included.
The typical figure for schools in Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Serious and slight counts use the Department for Transport's severity adjustment, which allows for changes in how police forces record injuries; they are estimates, rounded to whole numbers. Distances are in a straight line. Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19), Open Government Licence v3.0.
Commute and house prices
Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Bradford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Bradford
Across Bradford council
Places available
7,308
Applications
7,489
Got 1st preference
78.1%
Got preferred school
94.4%
All secondary applications across Bradford council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(9)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
19
SEN Support
22
EHC Plans
25.3%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 16 places, 26 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
162
Total Pupils
86
Boys
76
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
32.4:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£51,684
Mean salary
2026 data
Questions parents ask about Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families
What is Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families's Ofsted rating?
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2016, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families?
No fixed boundary. When Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families is oversubscribed, Bradford allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families?
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families has around 162 pupils on roll. 9% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families have specialist SEN provision?
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families has a resourced provision for specific learning difficulties such as dyslexia, visual impairment, other difficulties or disabilities, hearing impairment, speech, language and communication needs, autism, social, emotional and mental health needs, multi-sensory impairment, physical disability, moderate learning difficulties, severe learning difficulties and profound and multiple learning difficulties: 16 places, 26 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families?
Apply through Bradford's coordinated admissions process, naming Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families on your application. The national closing date in England is 31 October for secondary places and 15 January for primary places, in the year before your child starts.
How many road collisions happen near Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 65 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 15 serious and 50 slight. 20 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 11 on foot, 2 on a bicycle and 7 in a vehicle or otherwise. 15 of the collisions happened on a weekday between 08:00 and 09:30 or 14:45 and 16:30, holidays included. The typical figure for schools in Bradford is 30 (the median across 233 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families?
Canterbury Nursery School and Centre for Children and Families is at Basil Street, Canterbury, Bradford, West Yorkshire, BD5 9HL.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)