Oxhill Nursery School, Stanley
Oxhill Nursery School is a nursery school for pupils aged 2 to 4 in Stanley. It was rated Good at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in March 2015. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Good (2015)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Oxhill Nursery School in detail
Oxhill Nursery School in its own words
Clubs and activities named on the school's website include yoga, cooking and gardening.
Source: The school's own website
What parents say
24 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Oxhill Nursery School (as of September 2025): 83% would recommend the school, 92% say their child is happy there and 50% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that their child feels safe (96%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (50%).
Who goes there
0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 1.8% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 28 pupils (25.7%) received SEN support and 1 (0.9%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is autism.
Getting there
There is no railway, tram or Underground station within about three miles of Oxhill Nursery School.
8 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Arch - Eden Terrace (sw-bound), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Oxhill 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 235 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 County Durham (84), as is usual near a town centre.
Sources: Ofsted Parent View; 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 March 2015, 11 years ago, longer than Ofsted's usual 4-year cycle: the school may have changed since.
Overall
Quality of Education
Behaviour & Attitudes
Personal Development
Leadership & Management
Ofsted Insights
From Ofsted's July 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Oxhill Nursery School creates a warm, caring environment where children are genuinely happy and eager to learn. Staff use careful planning and positive encouragement to help children explore their own ideas and become more independent. The school places real importance on children's overall wellbeing, teaching them about healthy eating, exercise and respect for others through both indoor learning and outdoor exploration.
Key Strengths
- Personal, social and emotional development is at the heart of the curriculum, resulting in highly positive behaviours
- Well-planned curriculum with clear progression - for example, learning about plants extends from two-year-olds through to pre-school
- Strong focus on communication and language skills with core songs, stories and rhymes that build in complexity
- Excellent outdoor learning environment and sensory classroom tailored to individual needs
- Staff support children's independence and healthy development through cooking and growing vegetables from the school allotment
Areas for Improvement
- Systems to check children's learning are at an early stage - the school needs formal assessment systems to measure the impact of the new curriculum
- Leaders need to develop systematic ways to check the effectiveness of improvements being made
- Children do not have sufficient opportunities to learn about diversity and different communities in modern-day Britain
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with clear policies and designated leaders in place.
Extracurricular Activities
School and family litter picking day, flower meadow planting, activities linked to religious festivals such as Holi, outdoor play areas for running/jumping/climbing
Oxhill Nursery School is a wonderful place where children are happy and thrive, with kind and caring staff who provide high-quality learning opportunities. The school has made remarkable progress since the last inspection through improved curriculum planning and an extended leadership team.
At a Glance
0.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
24 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 1 nearby nursery school
Keep up with Oxhill Nursery School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Oxhill Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Oxhill Nursery School is in County Durham; for families living there:
- County Durham's school travel policy: School transport policies and strategies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school travel
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 10
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 4
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight.
4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise.
2 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 County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 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 - Stanley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Stanley
Across County Durham council
Places available
5,720
Applications
4,986
Got 1st preference
94.2%
Got preferred school
98.5%
All secondary applications across County Durham council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
28
SEN Support
1
EHC Plans
26.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
109
Total Pupils
59
Boys
50
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
2
Teachers
54.5:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
2026 data
Questions parents ask about Oxhill Nursery School
What is Oxhill Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Oxhill Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in March 2015, it was rated Good.
What is the catchment area for Oxhill Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Oxhill Nursery School is oversubscribed, County Durham allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Oxhill Nursery School?
Oxhill Nursery School has around 109 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Oxhill Nursery School?
Apply through County Durham's coordinated admissions process, naming Oxhill 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 Oxhill Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 10 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 8 slight. 4 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on foot, 1 on a bicycle and 2 in a vehicle or otherwise. 2 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 County Durham is 5 (the median across 280 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Oxhill Nursery School?
Oxhill Nursery School is at Oxhill, Stanley, County Durham, DH9 7LR.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)