Guildford Nursery School, Guildford

Ofsted's report card from its 28 April 2026 inspection grades Guildford Nursery School on 6 areas: 5 strong standard and 1 expected standard. Report cards replaced single-word judgements in November 2025, on a five-point scale from exceptional to urgent improvement.

Achievement - Strong standard. "Children are thoroughly well prepared for the next stage of their education."

Attendance and behaviour - Strong standard. "Leaders work effectively with parents and carers to promote the benefits of regular attendance for their children."

Inclusion - Strong standard. "Leaders and staff take great care to understand each child's precise needs."

Leadership and governance - Strong standard. "Leaders have a deep understanding of the school's work and take effective steps to address any areas which require strengthening."

Personal development and wellbeing - Strong standard. "Children's personal development and wellbeing is central to the school's work."

Curriculum and teaching - Expected standard. "The school places children's interests at the heart of learning."

Safeguarding standards were met.

Ofsted's next steps for the school: "Leaders and those responsible for governance should continue to ensure that the school's high-quality professional learning programme drives improvements in teaching"; "Leaders should continue their work to ensure that staff know precisely what they intend children to learn through each activity, so that opportunities to promote key knowledge and vocabulary are maximised".

From the headteacher's welcome: "We are delighted you are considering our nursery school and look forward to welcoming your family. Our nursery school is based on two different sites: Guildford Nursery School at York Road is in Guildford opposite Waitrose, and Guildford Nursery School at Hazel Avenue is on Bellfields, just a short distance from the centre of Guildford."

Coming up: an open evening on Tuesday 10 November 2026, an open day on Saturday 21 November 2026, an open day on Saturday 9 January 2027 and an open evening on Tuesday 19 January 2027. Check the school's website before you go, as dates can change.

11.5% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 33.9% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.

The largest ethnic groups are White British (44%), Mixed (14%) and Asian (12%).

In 2026, 34 pupils (19.5%) received SEN support and 8 (4.6%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.

The nearest railway station is London Road (Guildford) Rail Station, about 1.4 miles away in a straight line.

14 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Lime Grove (opposite), 60 metres away.

Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Guildford Nursery School stands in is among the 20% most deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.

In August 2026, police recorded 163 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Surrey (76), as is usual near a town centre.