Horsham Nursery School, Horsham
Horsham Nursery School is a nursery school for pupils aged 3 to 5 in Horsham. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in April 2012. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in May 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2012)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Horsham Nursery School in detail
Who goes there
0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 11.6% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (70%), Mixed (8%) and Asian (5%).
In 2026, 14 pupils (7.4%) received SEN support and 2 (1.1%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Horsham Nursery School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 16 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Horsham Rail Station, about 560 metres away (roughly a 7-minute walk).
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Kingslea Primary School (opposite), 210 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Horsham Nursery School stands in is among the 10% least deprived neighbourhoods in England. This describes where the school is, not where its pupils live.
In August 2026, police recorded 293 crimes within a mile of the school, most often anti-social behaviour, violence and sexual offences and shoplifting. That is well above the typical figure around schools in West Sussex (103), 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 · 1 year agoThis judgement is from April 2012, 14 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Latest (ungraded) inspection: Standards have been maintained.
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's May 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Horsham Nursery School creates a warm, welcoming environment where children develop confidence and social skills through carefully planned activities and kind, consistent adult support. The school excels at communication and language development, with a real love of stories and books woven throughout the day. Staff work closely with parents and are particularly skilled at identifying and supporting children with additional needs early on.
Key Strengths
- Rich, carefully designed learning environment with engaging play and exploration opportunities both indoors and outdoors
- Communication and language development at the heart of provision, with strong focus on vocabulary, stories, rhymes and songs
- Excellent relationships between staff and children, with kind role modelling creating a safe, secure atmosphere
- Strong support for children with SEND, with needs quickly identified and specialist provision available
- Effective partnerships with families who report their children feel comfortable and secure
Areas for Improvement
- Staff inconsistently adapt child-initiated activities to focus on individual children's needs and development
- Some staff do not apply the behaviour policy consistently across all situations
- Knowledge from tracking systems not always used well outside of focused group time to help children progress
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective with a strong culture that puts children's interests first.
Extracurricular Activities
Regular trips to nearby duck pond, woodland sessions using natural materials, breakfast and after-school care
Horsham Nursery School is a happy, purposeful setting where children are inspired and engaged by a wide range of activities. The school has maintained good standards and continues to provide a well-structured, ambitious curriculum with strong family relationships.
At a Glance
0.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
Resourced provision: Speech and language
SEN Provision
No
Special Measures
Keep up with Horsham Nursery School
Getting There
Train Stations
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Horsham Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Horsham Nursery School is in West Sussex; for families living there:
Apply to West Sussex for free school transport. Its policy is on the council's website.
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 28
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 24 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
7 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 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 - Horsham
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Horsham
Across West Sussex council
Places available
9,806
Applications
8,765
Got 1st preference
87.5%
Got preferred school
97.6%
All secondary applications across West Sussex council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(7)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
14
SEN Support
2
EHC Plans
8.4%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Horsham Nursery School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 16 places, 10 pupils on roll.
Source: GIAS, Department for Education.
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
190
Total Pupils
107
Boys
83
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
38.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£59,454
Mean salary
2026 data
Questions parents ask about Horsham Nursery School
What is Horsham Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Horsham Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in May 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in April 2012, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Horsham Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Horsham Nursery School is oversubscribed, West Sussex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Horsham Nursery School?
Horsham Nursery School has around 190 pupils on roll.
Does Horsham Nursery School have specialist SEN provision?
Horsham Nursery School has a resourced provision for speech, language and communication needs: 16 places, 10 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Horsham Nursery School?
Apply through West Sussex's coordinated admissions process, naming Horsham 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 Horsham Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 28 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 24 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 7 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 West Sussex is 11 (the median across 337 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Horsham Nursery School?
Horsham Nursery School is at Harwood Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH13 5UT.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)