Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre, London
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre is a nursery school for pupils aged 2 to 4 in London. Its most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, ended in a report card: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Before that it was rated Outstanding at its last graded inspection, in January 2015.
- Ofsted report card
- 2 areas need attention
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre in detail
What Ofsted's report card says
Ofsted's report card from its 16 June 2026 inspection grades Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre on 6 areas: 4 expected standard and 2 needs attention. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.
Attendance and behaviour - Expected standard. "Attendance has improved over the last 3 years."
Inclusion - Expected standard. "This is an inclusive school where all children are welcomed and their needs are considered."
Leadership and governance - Expected standard. "Leaders know the school well."
Personal development and wellbeing - Expected standard. "The nursery has a well-planned personal development programme, and leaders are always working to improve it."
Achievement - Needs attention. "Children's achievement is mixed."
Curriculum and teaching - Needs attention. "The standard of teaching across the school is too variable."
Safeguarding standards were met.
Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders should ensure that they develop staff expertise and knowledge of the early years curriculum across all areas of learning"; "Leaders should ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of how to develop children's use of rich language and that this is done consistently across all areas of learning"; "Leaders should ensure that they embed highly effective teaching across the school so that all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make consistent progress across the curriculum"; "Leaders should continue their work to improve attendance and lower persistent absence across the school".
Read the full report card on Ofsted's site (school website)
Source: Ofsted report card (Open Government Licence), quoted
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre in its own words
The school runs a breakfast club from 8:00am and after-school care, from £8.00 per day.
Wraparound care (school website)
Source: The school's own website
Who goes there
52% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 56% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are Black (41%), Mixed (17%) and White British (13%).
In 2026, 13 pupils (17.3%) received SEN support and 1 (1.3%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre 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: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest Underground station is Kennington Underground Station, about 490 metres away (roughly a 6-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kennington Lane, 110 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 2180 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and theft from the person. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Lambeth (1302), 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 · 4 months agoReport card - no single overall grade (Ofsted's framework since November 2025)
Safeguarding standards met
- Attendance and behaviourExpected standard
- InclusionExpected standard
- Leadership and governanceExpected standard
- Personal development and wellbeingExpected standard
- AchievementNeeds attention
- Curriculum and teachingNeeds attention
Safeguarding standards: met
Ofsted's report card, in its own words
What it's like to be a pupil at Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre
Parents and carers overwhelmingly praise the care offered to their children at Ethelred Nursery. Staff support children to enter school calmly at the start of the day so that they happily join in with a range of different activities. Children are kept safe and can name a member of staff who would support them if they were worried about anything. Children develop warm relationships with staff and with each other. They play together harmoniously and learn to take turns during activities. If anything goes wrong, staff intervene quickly and talk gently to children to resolve the issue. Bullying rarely happens. Attendance is improving gradually year on year, but leaders know that it still needs to be worked on. Leaders have created a well-designed curriculum where the children's learning builds as they move through the school. Staff's knowledge of the curriculum and their use of it to inform teaching and learning needs further time to build and embed. Staff support children with barriers to learning in a range of different ways, including working in small groups to develop their language. Children and their families are offered caring pastoral support for wider issues. Children generally develop key foundational skills in reading, writing and mathematics. However, in areas of the wider curriculum, teaching and learning are more variable. Staff sometimes do not engage children in careful interactions to develop their rich language. The activities provided are not always designed to draw children's interest and deepen their learning. In spite of these issues, children do make progress from their starting points, and by the time children leave the school, they are generally well prepared for Reception. Children's learning is enriched in a wide range of different ways. They visit local landmarks, theatres and the library, and they enjoy different festivals and celebrations in school with their families.
What Ofsted says the school should do next
- Leaders should ensure that they develop staff expertise and knowledge of the early years curriculum across all areas of learning.
- Leaders should ensure that all staff have a clear understanding of how to develop children's use of rich language and that this is done consistently across all areas of learning.
- Leaders should ensure that they embed highly effective teaching across the school so that all groups of pupils, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make consistent progress across the curriculum.
- Leaders should continue their work to improve attendance and lower persistent absence across the school.
From Ofsted's report card (inspection 16 June 2026). Read the full report Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's June 2026 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Ethelred Nursery excels at creating a caring, welcoming environment where every child feels valued and safe. Staff are kind and ambitious for all children, with particularly strong support for those with additional needs through specialist provision and training. Parents love the nursery's approach to pastoral care and are delighted with the progress their children make.
Key Strengths
- Strong safeguarding culture with all legal requirements met and staff actively identifying and managing concerns
- Excellent pastoral care and warm relationships between staff and children, with parents highly praising the kind staff
- Well-designed, progressive curriculum with clear planning and free-flow activities that support children's individual learning
- Effective support for children with additional needs through nurture provision and specialist training
- Strong partnership with parents and families, with frequent involvement in learning activities
Areas for Improvement
- Teaching quality is too variable across the school, with some staff not consistently applying training they have received
- Staff do not routinely correct children's mistakes or encourage use of rich language during interactions
- Achievement in wider curriculum areas is less secure, with activities not always carefully matched to curriculum plans
- Attendance remains an issue despite improvement over recent years, with some families taking children out during term time
- Children's learning experiences outside the classroom are sometimes not carefully linked to current learning topics
Safeguarding
Safeguarding standards are met with an open and positive culture where leaders fulfil their responsibilities and all legal requirements are met, resulting in children being kept safe and feeling safe.
Extracurricular Activities
Trips to theatres, local farm, library and London Aquarium, Christmas carol concerts, summer social, cultural and religious festivals
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre is an inclusive school where all children are welcomed and their needs are considered. The nursery has strengths in safeguarding, pastoral care, and support for children with additional needs, but teaching quality is variable and needs improvement across the curriculum.
At a Glance
52.0%
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 Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre
Getting There
Tube / Metro / Tram
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre is in Lambeth; for families living there:
- Lambeth's school travel policy: Home to school transport policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 158
- Fatal
- 1
- Serious
- 36
- Children hurt
- 5
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 158 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 36 serious and 121 slight.
5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot.
37 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 Lambeth is 142.5 (the median across 102 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 - London
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for London
Across Lambeth council
Places available
2,111
Applications
2,198
Got 1st preference
61.4%
Got preferred school
91.2%
All secondary applications across Lambeth council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
Ungraded inspection: The school remains Outstanding, but Ofsted raised concerns; its next inspection will be a full graded one.
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
13
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
18.7%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre 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: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
75
Total Pupils
33
Boys
42
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
2
Teachers
37.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
2026 data
Questions parents ask about Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre
What is Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre's Ofsted rating?
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre's most recent Ofsted inspection, in June 2026, produced a report card, which grades each area but gives no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in January 2015, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre?
No fixed boundary. When Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre is oversubscribed, Lambeth allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre?
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre has around 75 pupils on roll. 52% are eligible for free school meals.
Does Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre have specialist SEN provision?
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre 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: 8 places, 6 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre?
Apply through Lambeth's coordinated admissions process, naming Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre 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 Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 158 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: 1 fatal, 36 serious and 121 slight. 5 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 5 on foot. 37 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 Lambeth is 142.5 (the median across 102 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre?
Ethelred Nursery School and Children's Centre is at 1 Gundulf Street, London, SE11 6BG.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)