ST Edmund’s Nursery and Children’s Centre won the Achievement Award for both the success of the nursery and its work to train the next generation of Bradford’s teachers.

The nursery has been judged outstanding by Ofsted three times in succession, under the leadership of executive headteacher Anne-Marie Merifield.

St Edmund’s, which has about 283 nursery-age children, is also a Teaching School, responsible for training the next generation of teachers.

The nomination was made by chair of governors Robin Naylor, who said: “The school is a wonderful place to learn and develop as a young child – their practice is rooted in child-led learning, wonderful partnerships with parents and the wider community and in the value of creativity.

“They are known across the country as an example of just how good early years education can be.

“As well as running a highly successful school, the school also runs the highly effective West Bradford Cluster of seven children’s centres.

“They also run a highly successful childcare business. The school is open from 7.45am to 6pm, right the way through the year, meeting the needs of families from across the city.

“One of the greatest skills of those who lead St Edmund’s is their ability to spot and nurture talent wherever they see it.”

The school had helped to train two of the three teachers nominated in the Newcomer Awards.

Mrs Merifield accepted the award on behalf of the school, saying: “We are part of the community we are in, and believe in lifelong learning. It is a great place to work. We’ve been doing the teacher training for a few years, so we’re really starting to see the impact of the work done.We do anything we can to improve the lives of our young people.”

Honorary mentions:

Copthorne Primary

St Cuthbert & The First Martyrs