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Nurseries in Dereham

There are 15 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Dereham, and 2 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Dereham

  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 15 settings (1 Outstanding, 14 Good)

Grades are shown only where the inspectorate has published the report.

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Beetley And District Preschool - Pre-school, Dereham NR20 4BW, ages 2 to 4, 24 places
    Ofsted, 23 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Bishy Barnabees Day Nursery - Day nursery, Dereham NR20 3JY, ages 0 to 10, 74 places
    Ofsted, 7 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • East Dereham Day Nursery - Day nursery, Dereham NR19 2EW, ages 1 to 12, 63 places
    Ofsted, 10 June 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Foulsham & Bintree Playgroup - Day nursery, Dereham NR20 5RW, ages 2 to 4, 16 places
    Ofsted, 2 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Kings Park Pre-School - Pre-school, Dereham NR19 2AH, ages 2 to 4, 22 places
    Ofsted, 1 July 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Footsteps of Dereham - Day nursery, Dereham NR20 3AE, ages 0 to 10, 94 places
    Ofsted, 11 June 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Footsteps Of Mattishall - Day nursery, Dereham NR20 3AA, ages 1 to 5, 26 places
    Ofsted, 16 July 2021: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Owls Day Nursery - Day nursery, Dereham NR19 1LR, ages 0 to 4, 100 places
    Ofsted, 16 January 2024: Outstanding overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Swans - Pre-school, Dereham NR20 4NP, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 17 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • London Road Pre-School - Pre-school, Dereham NR19 1AS, ages 2 to 4, 20 places
    Ofsted, 18 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Noahs Ark Pre School - Pre-school, Dereham NR20 4TX, ages 0 to 4, 55 places
    Ofsted, 11 January 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Rockinghorse Daycare - Day nursery, Dereham NR20 3PJ, ages 0 to 11, 28 places
    Ofsted, 4 July 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Scarning Pre-School - Day nursery, Dereham NR19 2PW, ages 2 to 11, 40 places
    Ofsted, 30 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Scribbles Pre-School Bawdeswell - Day nursery, Dereham NR20 4RR, ages 0 to 8, 25 places
    Ofsted, 27 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • William Cowper Preschool - Pre-school, Dereham NR19 1LT, ages 2 to 4, 14 places
    Ofsted, 13 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Hoots After School Club - Out-of-school club, Dereham NR19 1JB, 90 places
  • Premier Wraparound St Mary's Community School - Out-of-school club, Dereham NR20 4BW, 24 places

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Ofsted grades before November 2025 (England)

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall grade on a four-point scale: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate. Ofsted also graded the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, and said whether safeguarding was effective.

Settings keep their last grade until Ofsted visits again, so many nurseries still show a grade from this older scale.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Council area

Schools in Dereham

Sources: Ofsted, registers as at 30 June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.