Houghton Le Spring Nursery School, Houghton le Spring

Outstanding
Nursery
Local authority nursery school
Mixed
Ages 35

Data last updated 11 Sept 2026

Location

Key Information

DfE GIAS
Head:Mrs Sarah Dixon-Jones
Pupils:142
LA:Sunderland
Phone:01915846655
Address:Neasham Place, Houghton le Spring, DH5 8AE
Federation:Inspiring Foundations
Admissions:Not applicable
Status:open

Ofsted Rating

Ofsted · 2 years ago
-

Overall

Inspected 11 February 2025View full report
URN:108746
Diocese:Not applicable
Constituency:Houghton and Sunderland South
Urban/Rural:Urban: Nearer to a major town or city

Ofsted Insights

What This School Does Well

This nursery excels at creating a calm, purposeful environment where children thrive. Staff build exceptionally strong relationships with families and use their detailed knowledge of each child to create absorbing activities that spark enthusiasm and learning. All children, including those needing extra support, make rapid progress because expectations are high and teaching is thoughtfully planned to challenge and extend their abilities.

Key Strengths

  • Exceptional quality teaching where adults use detailed knowledge of each child to plan challenging, engaging activities
  • Outstanding behaviour and safety - children are happy, harmonious, and feel secure with strong adult relationships
  • All staff are ambitious and reflective, working together daily to improve performance
  • Highly effective partnerships with parents who contribute meaningfully to their child's learning
  • Children with special educational needs receive excellent support and make the same excellent progress as other children

Areas for Improvement

  • Governors need to implement more systematic and rigorous monitoring of all aspects of the school's work to better challenge and support school leaders

Safeguarding

Safeguarding is effective - the school's work to keep children safe is outstanding with secure procedures, very close staff-parent relationships, and designated key persons ensuring children feel secure and trusted.

Extracurricular Activities

Use of local area including park and allotments

Houghton Le Spring Nursery School is an outstanding school where all staff are leaders of learning who constantly reflect on their practice to deliver exceptional teaching and achievement. Children's behaviour is outstanding, they feel confident and safe, and make rapid progress from the outset.

At a Glance

0.0%

Free School Meals

No

Boarding

Yes

Nursery

No

Sixth Form

No

Special Measures

What Parents Think

31 responses
Would recommend87%
Child is happy94%
Well taught94%
Good progress94%
Feels safe97%
Well behaved87%
Bullying dealt with0%
Kept informed94%
Handles concerns45%
Wider development87%

Source: Ofsted Parent View - % who strongly agree or agree

Class Sizes

0.0

Avg class size

0

Total classes

2024/25 academic year

Getting There

Bus Stops

Lake Road (W-Bound)
95m · 2 min walk
Hall Lane-Orchard Place (S-Bound)
167m · 3 min walk
Elizabeth Street-Edwin Street (NE-Bound)
220m · 4 min walk
Market Place (W-Bound)
232m · 4 min walk
Houghton Le Spring (S-Bound)
317m · 5 min walk
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Capacity & Demand

Area Demand Pressure - Houghton le Spring

Low pressure
New homes approved:756
Projected new pupils:136

Based on MHCLG housing supply data for Houghton le Spring

Admissions Demand - Sunderland

Low demand0.85x oversubscription

Places available

3,354

Applications

2,859

Got 1st preference

95.1%

Got preferred school

99.0%

Secondary admissions across Sunderland (2025/26)

Inspection History(7)

11 February 2025
28 February 2019
8 October 2014
OutstandingReport
Leadership & ManagementOutstanding

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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.

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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.

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Teachers & Staff

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