Tanglewood Nursery School, Chelmsford
Tanglewood Nursery School is a nursery school for pupils aged 2 to 5 in Chelmsford. It was rated Outstanding at its last graded Ofsted inspection, in July 2019. Ofsted's ungraded inspection in January 2025 did not change this grade.
- Ofsted
- Outstanding (2019)
Data last updated 27 Oct 2026
Tanglewood Nursery School in detail
What parents say
31 parents answered Ofsted's Parent View survey about Tanglewood Nursery School (as of September 2025): 100% would recommend the school, 100% say their child is happy there and 67% of those with a view say bullying is dealt with well.
The strongest agreement was that they would recommend the school (100%); the weakest, that the school deals with bullying well (among parents with a view) (67%).
Who goes there
0% of pupils are eligible for free school meals, and 27.1% speak English as an additional language, according to the 2026 school census.
The largest ethnic groups are White British (47%), Asian (28%) and Mixed (11%).
In 2026, 34 pupils (25.6%) 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 Chelmsford Rail Station, about 1 mile away in a straight line.
9 bus stops are within a five-minute walk; the closest is Melbourne School (opposite), 100 metres away.
The area around the school
Measured by the 2025 English Indices of Deprivation, the neighbourhood Tanglewood 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 212 crimes within a mile of the school, most often violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and drug offences. That is well above the typical figure around schools in Essex (97), 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 · 2 years agoThis judgement is from July 2019, 7 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 January 2025 inspection report.
What This School Does Well
Tanglewood creates a warm, secure environment where every child thrives regardless of their starting point. Staff are deeply committed to understanding each child's needs and providing tailored support, with particular expertise in helping children with additional needs succeed. Children develop strong communication skills, independence, and positive behaviour while enjoying rich learning experiences both indoors and outdoors.
Key Strengths
- Strong focus on communication and language development with daily stories, songs, and rich vocabulary
- Expert identification and support for children with special educational needs, with staff adapting learning to fully include them
- Impressive behaviour and independence skills taught through consistent routines
- Excellent outdoor learning opportunities including climbing equipment, sand pit, and forest area
- Strong partnership working with parents and feeder schools for smooth transitions
Areas for Improvement
- More consistent and robust approach needed to ensure higher-ability children have sufficient opportunities to secure and apply their in-depth knowledge during independent play and class work
Safeguarding
The arrangements for safeguarding are effective.
Extracurricular Activities
visits to local community, annual school trip to the beach, Tanglemas celebration
Tanglewood Nursery School has maintained its outstanding standards since the previous inspection in 2019. Children thrive in a nurturing environment where staff know their abilities well and skilfully match the curriculum to meet individual needs.
At a Glance
0.0%
Free School Meals
No
Boarding
Yes
Nursery
No
Sixth Form
No
Special Measures
What Parents Think
31 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 Tanglewood Nursery School
Getting There
Bus Stops
Free school transport
Check free transport to Tanglewood Nursery School from your postcode →
You apply to the council where you live. Tanglewood Nursery School is in Essex; for families living there:
- Essex's school travel policy: Education Transport Policy
Safety and surroundings
Road collisions within 500 m (2021 to 2025)
- Collisions
- 13
- Fatal
- 0
- Serious
- 2
- Children hurt
- 2
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight.
2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot.
3 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 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 - Chelmsford
Based on MHCLG Live Table 122 (2024-25, last 5 years) for Chelmsford
Across Essex council
Places available
17,590
Applications
16,568
Got 1st preference
83.4%
Got preferred school
97.0%
All secondary applications across Essex council (2026/27), not just this school.
Inspection History(8)
SEND & SEN Provision
SEN Overview
34
SEN Support
0
EHC Plans
25.6%
of Total Pupils
2026 academic year
Provision & Specialist Facilities
Pupils by Need Type
Pupil Demographics
Ethnicity
2026 academic year
Key Indicators
133
Total Pupils
62
Boys
71
Girls
2026 academic year
Workforce
5
Teachers
26.6:1
Pupil-teacher ratio
£55,067
Mean salary
2026 data
Questions parents ask about Tanglewood Nursery School
What is Tanglewood Nursery School's Ofsted rating?
Tanglewood Nursery School's most recent Ofsted inspection, in January 2025, was ungraded, so it gave no overall grade. At its last graded inspection, in July 2019, it was rated Outstanding.
What is the catchment area for Tanglewood Nursery School?
No fixed boundary. When Tanglewood Nursery School is oversubscribed, Essex allocates places by its published criteria, usually ending with home-to-school distance.
How many pupils go to Tanglewood Nursery School?
Tanglewood Nursery School has around 133 pupils on roll.
How do I apply to Tanglewood Nursery School?
Apply through Essex's coordinated admissions process, naming Tanglewood 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 Tanglewood Nursery School?
Within 500 m of the school's mapped location, police recorded 13 road collisions in which someone was injured in 2021 to 2025: none fatal, 2 serious and 11 slight. 2 children aged 0 to 15 were hurt: 2 on foot. 3 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 Essex is 9 (the median across 614 schools, same distance and years).
Where is Tanglewood Nursery School?
Tanglewood Nursery School is at Melbourne Avenue, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 2DX.
Source: Department for Transport, Road Safety Data (STATS19)