Harewood Centre Nursery School, Pontefract
Data last updated 11 Sept 2026
Key Information
DfE GIASOfsted Rating
Ofsted · 4 years agoOverall
Ofsted Insights
What This School Does Well
The nursery has excellent specialist support for children with additional needs and disabilities, ensuring all children are included and make good progress. Staff are highly skilled at teaching and use engaging activities like observing live animals and sensory play to develop learning. Parents appreciate the welcoming environment, safety improvements, and regular updates on their child's progress.
Key Strengths
- Excellent support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, with highly skilled staff meeting individual needs
- Strong progress for most children, with many making more than typical progress from their starting points
- Skilled teaching in language and communication, with staff using open questioning and modelling behaviour effectively
- Effective use of early years pupil premium funding for additional staffing and interventions
- Excellent relationships with parents who feel confident and involved in their child's learning
Areas for Improvement
- Governing body needs greater involvement in developing and monitoring the school development plan
- Further rapid progress needed in speaking and listening skills for all children
- Website information could be improved to provide higher quality details
Safeguarding
Safeguarding is effective - all staff have received appropriate training, the premises have been significantly improved since the new headteacher's appointment, and children feel safe with warm relationships with staff.
Harewood Centre Nursery School continues to be good, with the leadership team maintaining quality education since the last inspection in 2013. Under the new headteacher's direction since April 2016, the school has made significant improvements to safety, building layout, and provision for two-year-olds.
At a Glance
0.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
Class Sizes
0.0
Avg class size
0
Total classes
2024/25 academic year
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
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Capacity & Demand
Area Demand Pressure - Pontefract
Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Pontefract
Admissions Demand - Wakefield
Places available
4,320
Applications
3,997
Got 1st preference
91.0%
Got preferred school
96.9%
Secondary admissions across Wakefield (2025/26)
Inspection History(6)
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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.
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.
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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