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Emneth Nursery School, Wisbech

Outstanding
Nursery
Local authority nursery school
Mixed
Ages 0–5

Emneth Nursery School is a nursery school for pupils aged 0 to 5 in Wisbech. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in May 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in October 2024 did not change this grade.

Ofsted
Outstanding (2019)
New inspections, open days and news, by email.

Data last updated 26 Oct 2026

Emneth Nursery School in detail

Emneth Nursery School in its own words

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are a 100 place Nursery School for children aged 3-5 years and an all year round day-care provision for children from 3 months to 5 years old. Our children are very special to us and all of them benefit from a fantastic experienced staff team that encourage and nurture their every step."

Headteacher's welcome (school website)

Source: The school's own website

What parents say

22 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Emneth Nursery School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school and 100% say their child is happy there.

The strongest agreement was that the school supports their child's wider development (100%); the weakest, that the school has high expectations for their child (91%).

Who goes there

0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 1.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.

In 2026, 2 pupils (1.8%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

Getting there

There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Emneth Nursery School.

4 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Hollycroft Close (adjacent), 50 metres away.

The area around the school

In August 2026, police recorded 13 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order offences. That is well below the typical figure around schools in Norfolk (28).

Sources: Ofsted Parent View; DfE school census and special educational needs statistics; NaPTAN (Department for Transport); English Indices of Deprivation 2025 (MHCLG); data.police.uk street-level crime

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Claire Hooker
Pupils:111
LA:Norfolk
Phone:01945582401
Address:Hollycroft Road, Wisbech, PE14 8AY
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago

This judgement is from May 2019, 7 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.

-

Overall

Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.

Inspected 8 October 2024View full report
URN:120765
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:South West Norfolk
Urban/Rural:Urban: Further from a major town or city

Ofsted's report, in its own words

What is it like to attend this school?

Children arrive happily at this appealing nursery school. They are calm and confident because staff provide them with expert support and guidance. Children and staff have trusting relationships. This is important because it helps the children to feel safe and secure. Children know that adults will help them when they need it.

Staff have high expectations for children. Children live up to this. They behave very well and achieve highly. The carefully designed tasks they engage in build their skills and knowledge. Staff ensure children learn an ever-increasing vocabulary and become more self-assured. As a result, children are prepared exceptionally well for primary school.

What does the school do well and what does it need to do better?

The school's curriculum sets out the skills and knowledge children need to learn from birth to age five. Staff understand the developmental steps required and the order in which children need to achieve them. For example, children must develop a strong hand grip to draw well. The well-trained staff support this development during various activities. For instance, children can participate in activities that develop grip strength during outdoor time.

Staff know children's current developmental stage very well. As a result, they can identify those areas children need to work on and what they should learn next. Any children who need extra support to catch up with their peers receive this. For instance, they may get extra practice to help them say letter sounds more clearly. Additionally, some children participate in fun sessions that help them practise taking turns and sharing with their friends. The school places the highest priority on preparing children to be ready for their next stage of learning and they achieve this remarkably well.

From Ofsted's October 2024 ungraded inspection report: the opening paragraphs of each section, quoted word for word. Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Ofsted Insights

Ofsted rated this school Outstanding at its May 2019 inspection - up from Good.

Rated Outstanding for

Leadership & management.

At a Glance

0.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

22 responses
Would recommend100%
Child is happy100%
Child does well100%
High expectations91%
Feels safe100%
Well behaved100%
Kept informed100%
Handles concerns (of parents who raised one)100%
Wider development100%

Source: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree

Keep up with Emneth Nursery School

Getting There

Bus Stops

Hollycroft Close (adj)
53m · 1 min walk
bus shelter (opp)
205m · 3 min walk
Fendyke Road (opp)
528m · 9 min walk
church (opp)
897m · 15 min walk

Free school transport

Check free transport to Emneth Nursery School from your postcode →

You apply to the council where you live. Emneth Nursery School is in Norfolk; for families living there:

Apply to Norfolk for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.

Safety and surroundings

Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)

Collisions
1
Fatal
0
Serious
0
Children hurt
0

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight.

No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt.

0 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 Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 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.

Can you get into this school?
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Commute and house prices

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Capacity & Demand

Area Demand Pressure - Wisbech

Medium pressure
New homes approved:2,591
Projected new pupils:466

Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Wisbech

Across Norfolk council

Low demand council-wide0.90 applications per place

Places available

9,559

Applications

8,625

Got 1st preference

94.1%

Got preferred school

98.3%

All secondary applications across Norfolk council (2026/27), not just this school.

Inspection History(8)

8 October 2024

Ungraded inspection: Standards have been maintained.

22 May 2019
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding
30 October 2018

SEND & SEN Provision

SEN Overview

2

SEN Support

0

EHC Plans

1.8%

of Total Pupils

2026 academic year

Provision & Specialist Facilities

No specialist provision recorded

Pupils by Need Type

Speech, Language & Communication2
EHC Plan
SEN Support

Pupil Demographics

Ethnicity

White British
98.2%

2026 academic year

Key Indicators

Free School Meals0.0%
English as Additional Language1.8%

111

Total Pupils

58

Boys

53

Girls

2026 academic year

Workforce

2

Teachers

55.5:1

Pupil-teacher ratio

2026 data

Questions parents ask about Emneth Nursery School

What is Emneth Nursery School's Ofsted rating?

Emneth Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in October 2024, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in May 2019, it was rated Outstanding.

What is the catchment area for Emneth Nursery School?

No fixed boundary. When Emneth Nursery School is oversubscribed, Norfolk allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.

How many pupils go to Emneth Nursery School?

Emneth Nursery School has around 111 pupils on roll.

How do I apply to Emneth Nursery School?

Apply through Norfolk's coordinated admissions process, naming Emneth Nursery School 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 Emneth Nursery School?

Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 1 road collision in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 0 serious and 1 slight. No children aged 0 to 15 were among the people hurt. 0 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 Norfolk is 4 (the median across 462 schools, same distance and years).

Where is Emneth Nursery School?

Emneth Nursery School is at Hollycroft Road, Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, PE14 8AY.

Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)

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