Rockwood Nursery School, Burnley
Rockwood Nursery School is a nursery school for pupils aged 2 to 5 in Burnley. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in October 2014. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in July 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2014)
Data last updated 26 Oct 2026
Rockwood Nursery School in detail
Rockwood Nursery School in its own words
In its own words: "About Us Rockwood is Nursery School, situated in a lovely old Victorian manor house, with fabulous gardens, a forest school and play areas, located on the outskirts of Burnley. You can read about Our History and download booklets written to celebrate events in our past."
Vision and values (school website)
Source: The school's own website
What parents say
41 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Rockwood Nursery School (as of September 2025): 93% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 0% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that pupils behave well (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (0%).
Who goes there
0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 15.4% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
In 2026, 24 pupils (23.1%) received SEN support and 0 (0%) had an education, health and care plan. The most common need among them is speech, language and communication needs.
Getting there
The nearest railway station is Burnley Manchester Road Rail Station, about 1190 metres away (roughly a 15-minute walk).
12 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Fairholme Rd (opposite), 50 metres away.
The area around the school
In August 2026, police recorded 495 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 Lancashire (109), 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 October 2014, 12 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
Rockwood is a happy, caring nursery where your child will feel safe and secure. Staff create stimulating learning experiences and have high expectations for all children, including those with additional needs. Your child will develop strong independence skills, enjoy outdoor learning in the woodland area, and be well-prepared for primary school.
Key Strengths
- Children are happy, settled and benefit from caring staff who know them well
- Strong support for children with SEND, with needs identified quickly and acted on in partnership with parents and professionals
- Well-developed curriculum with ambitious goals that prepares children well for primary school
- Excellent personal development programme fostering independence and understanding of the wider world
- Calm, orderly environment with positive behaviour and strong parent partnerships
Areas for Improvement
- Some staff do not implement the curriculum or adapt learning activities consistently well, limiting how effectively some children learn
- Occasionally staff interactions with children are not fully effective, which limits children's vocabulary and knowledge building
- Need to ensure all staff are equipped to better support children's knowledge and skills across all areas of the curriculum
Safeguarding
Safeguarding arrangements are effective with strong child protection procedures and an open, positive culture around safeguarding.
Extracurricular Activities
Woodland area activities, well-being and mindfulness sessions, visits to park and farm, before- and after-school club
Rockwood Nursery School is a vibrant nursery where children are happy, settled and well-cared for. The school has successfully developed its curriculum since the previous inspection and children are well-prepared for their next steps in learning.
At a Glance
0.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
41 responsesSource: Ofsted Parent View, responses as at September 2025 - % who strongly agree or agree
How Does This School Compare?
Ranked against 5 nearby nursery schools
Keep up with Rockwood Nursery School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Rockwood Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Rockwood Nursery School is in Lancashire; for families living there:
- Lancashire's school travel policy: school transport policies
- How to apply: Apply for free home to school transport assistance
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 6
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 4
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 2 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise.
0 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 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 - Burnley
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Burnley
Across Lancashire council
Places available
14,702
Applications
13,782
Got 1st preference
87.1%
Got preferred school
97.2%
All secondary applications across Lancashire council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
24
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
23.1%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
104
Total Pupils
57
Boys
47
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
4
Teachers
26.0:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£57,479
Mean salary
2026 data
Questions parents ask about Rockwood Nursery School
What is Rockwood Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Rockwood Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in July 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in October 2014, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Rockwood Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Rockwood Nursery School is oversubscribed, Lancashire allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Rockwood Nursery School?
Rockwood Nursery School has around 104 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Rockwood Nursery School?
Apply through Lancashire's coordinated admissions process, naming Rockwood 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 Rockwood Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 6 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 4 serious and 2 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 1 on a bicycle and 1 in a vehicle or otherwise. 0 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 Lancashire is 12 (the median across 707 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Rockwood Nursery School?
Rockwood Nursery School is at Kingsland Road, Burnley, Lancashire, BB11 3PU.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)