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Nurseries in Downham Market

There are 6 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Downham Market.

Inspection grades in Downham Market

  • Ofsted report cards: 1 setting (1 Strong standard, 5 Expected standard)
  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 4 settings (4 Good)

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

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Clackclose Pre-School - Pre-school, Downham Market PE38 9JE, ages 2 to 4, 36 places
    Ofsted, 19 January 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Downham Nursery School - Day nursery, Downham Market PE38 9QG, 64 places
  • Giggles N Squiggles Downham - Day nursery, Downham Market PE38 9SW, ages 1 to 4, 46 places
    Ofsted report card, 8 July 2026: Strong standard in 1 area, Expected standard in 5 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Puddle Ducks - Day nursery, Downham Market PE38 9ND, ages 2 to 11, 28 places
    Ofsted, 6 February 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Southery Playgroup - Day nursery, Downham Market PE38 0PA, ages 2 to 4, 16 places
    Ofsted, 19 May 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Willow Woods Forest School - Pre-school, Downham Market PE38 0BA, 12 places
    Ofsted, 29 April 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Nursery groups with settings here

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 Downham Market

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