Clervaux Nursery School

About Clervaux Nursery School

Clervaux Nursery School is one of only four state nursery schools in South Tyneside, and it shares the distinction with all of them of holding an Outstanding rating from Ofsted. That puts it at the very top of the local authority's provision for two-to-five-year-olds, with no school in its category graded lower. The most recent graded inspection, in 2014, awarded the school top marks across the board — leadership and management, overall effectiveness — and an ungraded inspection in June 2023 confirmed it 'remains Outstanding'. For parents in South Tyneside, this means Clervaux is not just a good local option; it is part of a small, elite group of nurseries that have consistently met the highest standards. The school's headteacher, Jenny Parker, leads a setting of 84 pupils, and the fact that every nursery in the LA holds the same rating suggests a strong, well-supported early years sector in the area.

Because Clervaux is a nursery, there are no Key Stage 2 SATs or Progress 8 scores to compare against the LA average. Instead, the school's academic quality is measured entirely through Ofsted's early years framework. In its 2014 graded inspection, the early years provision was graded 2 (Good), but by the 2023 ungraded inspection the school had clearly built on that, with leadership and management now judged Outstanding. The school's focus is on the prime areas of learning — communication and language, physical development, and personal, social and emotional development — and its SEN unit and specialist provisions for speech, language and communication, physical disability, and autistic spectrum disorder mean it is well equipped to support children with additional needs from the start. For a nursery, the strongest indicator of future academic success is a high-quality early years environment, and Clervaux's sustained Outstanding rating suggests children here get a strong foundation.

The school sits in South Tyneside and offers a range of facilities that go beyond what many nurseries provide: a gymnasium, a dining hall, a forest school, a sensory room, music rooms and even a chapel. There is a gymnastics club and an art club, and the forest school in particular gives children regular outdoor learning. The school's SEN unit and dedicated provisions for autistic spectrum disorder and physical disability mean it can cater for a wide range of needs, and the sensory room is a valuable resource for children who need a calm, regulated space. With only 84 pupils, it is a small setting where staff can get to know each child well. Clervaux is a strong fit for families who want a nursery with a proven track record, especially those whose children may benefit from specialist early years support, and it sits within a local authority where every nursery is rated Outstanding — so competition for places may be high.

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