Cherry Trees Nursery School, Bedford

Outstanding
Nursery
Local authority nursery school
Mixed
Ages 25

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Julie Smith
Pupils:147
LA:Bedford
Phone:01234354788
Address:Hawkins Road, Bedford, MK42 9LS
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 26 November 2024View full report
URN:109413
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Bedford
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

Cherry Trees provides a welcoming, inclusive environment where children thrive. The school excels at supporting children who speak English as an additional language and those with additional needs, helping all children feel confident and valued. Parents speak very highly of the nursery, praising the clear information shared about their children's progress.

Key Strengths

  • Children make good progress in reading, writing and mathematics with strong support for English language learners
  • Safety is outstanding with extremely high quality care and very good relationships
  • Strong support for disabled children and those with special educational needs enables full inclusion
  • Good teaching helps children develop important skills and become enthusiastic learners
  • Excellent spiritual, moral, social and cultural development with emphasis on learning about different traditions

Areas for Improvement

  • Staff knowledge of children's abilities is not always used precisely enough when planning tasks for different ability levels
  • Adults do not always ask children enough questions to encourage deep thinking and extend learning

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective with thorough arrangements in place; children are safe and secure at school with excellent adult supervision and parents confident in their children's wellbeing.

Cherry Trees Nursery School is a good school where children make good progress in all areas of learning. The executive headteacher provides strong leadership with a clear vision for improvement, and safety is outstanding.

At a Glance

3.9%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

19 responses
Would recommend100%
Child is happy100%
Well taught100%
Good progress74%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved84%
Bullying dealt with5%
Kept informed95%
Handles concerns42%
Wider development95%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Train Stations

Bedford St Johns Rail Station (Entrance)
627m · 10 min walk

Bus Stops

The Angel (opp)
132m · 2 min walk
London Road Methodist Chapel (opp)
356m · 6 min walk
Fenlake Road (adj)
357m · 6 min walk
Brackley Road (opp)
377m · 6 min walk
Elstow Road Post Office (opp)
382m · 6 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

Area Demand Pressure - Bedford

Medium pressure
New homes approved:9,345
Projected new pupils:1,682

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Bedford

Admissions Demand - Bedford

Low demand0.88x oversubscription

Places available

2,346

Applications

2,069

Got 1st preference

84.1%

Got preferred school

96.7%

Secondary admissions across Bedford (2025/26)

Inspection History(8)

26 November 2024
4 July 2019
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
10 October 2018

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SEN Provision

How many pupils have special educational needs, what types of support the school provides, and how it compares to similar schools.

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Pupil Demographics

The school's pupil mix - ethnicity breakdown, free school meals eligibility, and English as an additional language. Useful context when evaluating school fit.

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Teachers & Staff

Teacher qualification rates, pupil-to-teacher ratio, staff turnover, and salary data. Shows how well-resourced and stable the school's workforce is.

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