Nursery Advice
Claim Your Nursery

Little Owls Day Nursery in Dereham

Ofsted: Outstanding
(Jan 2024)
·
4.9(50 parent reviews)
·20 School Lane, Dereham, NR19 1LR · Norfolk
Number of places
100 places
Age range
0–4 yrs
Last inspected
Jan 2024
Local authority
Norfolk

About this day nursery

Little Owls Day Nursery provides exceptional childcare across two locations in Norfolk: Toftwood and Scarning. The nursery caters to children aged 6 weeks to 4 years, with Hoots offering breakfast, after-school, and holiday clubs for children aged 4-14.

Established over 36 years ago, its ethos centres on providing a nurturing, professional service that prioritises each child's individual needs. The facilities include dedicated bungalows and modular buildings for different age groups, alongside extensive outdoor play areas equipped with high-quality, impact-absorbent safety surfaces.

Both nurseries feature bespoke mud kitchens, promoting sensory exploration and imaginative play. Little Owls emphasises a rich curriculum with extra activities designed to broaden children's knowledge, understanding of themselves, and their role within the community.

The nursery is committed to developing children's early speech and language skills, with staff trained as Communication Champions.

Our ethos

Our main ethos at Little Owls is to create a nurturing and professional service for our families and children whilst always placing your child at the very centre of everything that we do.

What it's like

The nursery provides an environment that helps children to flourish and thrive, putting their needs at the heart of everything. Children form close attachments with staff, who greet them warmly and support them to quickly become absorbed in activities that ignite their curiosity and thirst for learning. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and teach them to be respectful, empathetic and considerate.

Ofsted OutstandingEstablished 36 yearsTwo locations (Toftwood & Scarning)Breakfast & After School ClubHoliday Club

Pricing & funding

This nursery charges based on the child's age group room, with options for morning, afternoon, and full-day sessions. Weekly block bookings are available at a discounted rate, while extra hours, meals, and consumable fees for older children are billed separately.

Funding accepted

Tax-Free Childcare30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)

Good to know

  • Children must attend a minimum of two sessions per week.
  • Parents must provide nappies and changing items.
  • Consumable fee applies for children aged 2+ to cover snacks, resources, and app access.
  • Meals (breakfast, cooked lunch, and tea) are charged extra.
  • Sibling discounts are available upon inquiry.

Key facts

Session types

Morning Session, Afternoon Session, Daily, Weekly Block Booking, Hourly/Additional Hourly, Breakfast Club, After School Club, Holiday Club

Opening hours

7:30am - 6:00pm

Age range

6 weeks to 14 years

Term time / All Year

All Year

Established

2003

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating for Little Owls Day Nursery

Last inspected 16 January 2024 · Laura Redmond

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding

What it's like to attend

The nursery provides an environment that helps children to flourish and thrive, putting their needs at the heart of everything. Children form close attachments with staff, who greet them warmly and support them to quickly become absorbed in activities that ignite their curiosity and thirst for learning. Staff have high expectations for children's behaviour and teach them to be respectful, empathetic and considerate.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders devise an ambitious curriculum that provides children with the breadth of knowledge, skills and experiences they need to succeed in life.
  • Children are excellent communicators who speak clearly and engage in meaningful conversations with staff, showing exceptional recall and fluency.
  • Children develop a love of nature, participate in forest school activities, and learn about fire safety.
  • The highly skilled and professional special educational needs and/or disability coordinator ensures children are provided with outstanding support.
  • Healthy lifestyles are rigorously promoted through "mini master chef classes," ample opportunities to play in the well-resourced garden, and daily teeth cleaning.
Inspection #10308235 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

What parents say

Verbatim quotes recorded in the Ofsted inspection

Parents praise the staff's in-depth, face- to-face and online communication with them.

Parents are very complimentary of the professionalism and support they receive and feel involved in their children's education.

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

The highly skilled and professional special educational needs and/or disability coordinator ensures children are provided with outstanding support to help them make effective progress. They have developed an engaging and stimulating sensory room to meet the learning needs of the children and maintain professional relationships with parents and external agencies to ensure referrals are completed quickly.

Outdoor space

Children develop a love of nature; they help staff to plant and water trees and excitedly make bird feeders for the garden. Children participate in forest school activities, enthusiastically make a fire around the firepit, and have ample opportunities to play in their well-resourced garden.

Parent Reviews of Little Owls Day Nursery

4.9
(50)
Vicky Gray
3 years ago

Edit.......since leaving this review I have had my daughter attend the nursery too. Its is still fantastic and would give them 5 stars. My daughter had a rough few sessions at the start where she cried every time I dropped her off. Her key person at the time was brilliant and helped her in and she went in at her own time, no rushing. Fast forward a couple of years she will be leaving soon to start full time school. She has had a great beginning of her education at littleowls, they have helped her to become the confident out going little lady that she is. Also even though my older son didn't attend the nursery (we didnt live in the area at the time) the staff are always friendly and engage in a conversation with him if he is excited to speak about his day when he comes with me to collect his sister. I 100% recommend littleowls to anyone. They have been fantastic for my children. My son is currently attending Little Owls Day Nursery. He has been at the nursery now for 14 months. He absolutely loves going there. Me and my son have a great relationship with his key worker and all of the other staff. I love getting the updates on Tapestry, it's great seeing what he has done. He receives a variety of freshly cooked food for his lunch. I would 100% recommend this nursery. (Vicky Gray)

Read on Google
Kat Hamshaw
7 years ago

One of our little Girls- Poppy spent the year before going to school at little owls in Barn owls- she had fantastic key workers that helped her settle in so quickly, also the transition to school was made seamless by little Owls. our other little one- Daisy is still attending; currently in Tawny owls, she absolutely loves her days at Little owls- she has so much fun! She is learning so quickly and growing into an amazing little girl and I strongly believe this is partly down to a fantastic nursery! The food is always fresh and such a range of food for them to explore and try! They have trips out and go for walks and spend lots of time outside exploring too. All the staff are friendly, professional and enthusiastic- Would 100% recommend you send your little ones to Little Owls!! (Kat Barron)

Read on Google
Ashleigh Hunt
3 years ago

My little girl joined the nursery at 11 months old and has been going for 8 months now. Initially I felt nervous returning to work and settling her into nursery but also wanted her to experience being around other children and caregivers to learn some independence and confidence. Little owls toftwood, in particular Sarah-Beth who was her first key worker was incredibly patient, informative and reassuring, always greeting us with a smile. I felt like she would be in great hands from the first visit, despite it being a hard transition it’s one of the best things we’ve decided to do and our little girl loves it. All of the staff here in my opinion (Amy, Charlotte, Georgia, Maddie, chef Annie!) do a fantastic job and provide regular updates on tapestry so that I feel I can check in on her day whilst at work (super helpful!) I also want to mention how well I found the introduction/settling period. From my initial tour, to paperwork and the information provided to the first meeting I had with a key worker to discuss routine etc, everything was exactly as I had wished for, overall it feels as though every child’s needs are catered for and if certain things need to be accommodated, the staff make it feel no trouble at all.

Read on Google
jemma clark
7 years ago

My Son has been attending Little Owls since September 18 and we all adore it. His practitioners are amazing, and they are all so caring. I feel absolutely at ease when he is there and have been made to feel that way right from our initial meeting with the nursery. Can’t recommend enough!

Read on Google
Lauren Moore
3 years ago

My little girls been going to Toftwood Little Owls now for a year and a half, she absolutely loves it there. Her key workers have been amazing, the whole journey to nursery she's saying she wants to give her key worker a big cuddle. She also learns so much, she comes home with new skills almost every session!

Read on Google

Reviews from Google for Little Owls Day Nursery. See all on Google Maps

Inspection history

Date: October 2008

  • January 2024Outstanding
  • March 2018Outstanding
  • March 2014Outstanding
  • October 2008Good

Frequently asked about Little Owls Day Nursery

Nearby day nurseries in Dereham

Other Ofsted-registered day nurseries close to Little Owls Day Nursery.

Are you the owner of this nursery? Claim this listing to manage photos, hours and contact details.

Claim listing

Share this nursery

Send to a partner, friend or family member.

This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more