Pennywell Early Years Centre
Local authority nursery nursery school in Sunderland (Sunderland).
Location
iSchool location from Get Information about Schools. Nearby schools are coloured by phase. Open Map+ for a full-screen map with neighbourhood deprivation (England only).About
Hello and a very warm welcome to Pennywell Early Years Centre! Im Ruth Williamson, the proud Headteacher of our vibrant and nurturing maintained nursery school here in Sunderland. With over 20 years of experience in early years education, I'm deeply passionate about supporting young children and their families during these incredibly important first steps in life.
At Pennywell, we believe that every child deserves the very best start, and we're committed to providing just that. As a maintained nursery school, we are part of the local authority education system, offering high-quality early learning led by qualified teachers and experienced staff who truly care.
Our centre provides a safe, stimulating environment where children aged 4 months to 5 years old can explore, play, and thrive. We celebrate each child's individuality and work hard to make sure they feel happy, confident, and inspired every day.
In the school’s own words, from the school website.
Key facts
- URN
- 108753
- Type
- Local authority nursery school
- Phase
- Nursery
- Ages
- 2 to 5
- Gender
- Mixed
- Nursery
- Has Nursery Classes
- Local authority
- Sunderland
- Constituency
- Houghton and Sunderland South
- Setting
- Urban: Nearer to a major town or city
- Opened
- 1900
Governing body (6 current, 3 former)
Maintained school governing body.
Leadership
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mrs Margaret Parsons | Chair of Governors | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
Full governing body
| Name | Role | How appointed | Term |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mr Paul Best | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Ms Jennifer Jane Amundsen | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2025 · until 2029 |
| Miss Doreen Janet Smith | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Julie Heron | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Mrs Nicole Hunt | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2024 · until 2028 |
| Miss Lynn Haggerton Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
| Mr James Jackson Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2022 · term ended 2026 |
| Mrs Leslie Stevens Former | Governor | Appointed by GB/board | since 2021 · term ended 2025 |
Source: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (governance records, as at 25 October 2026). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Names are shown as published; there are no addresses or contact details. Current and former are worked out from term end dates when the page loads. Object or ask for removal · Report an issue with this record