Childcare in Dereham
Dereham has 9 day nurseries, 6 pre-schools, 3 school nursery classes, 2 childminders and 2 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 17 of them and rated 16 Good or better, 1 of them Outstanding. 5 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Across Norfolk there are 28 places per 100 children under five, worse supplied than England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Norfolk, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 148 school nursery classes across Norfolk, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
2 settings match. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Dec 2025Closed Hoots Out-of-school day care
What people ask about childcare in Dereham
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
Which nurseries in Dereham take funded hours?
9 of the 22 settings in Dereham are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Dereham rated Outstanding?
Yes. 1 of the 17 settings Ofsted has inspected in Dereham hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Dereham take babies?
19 settings in Dereham are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Dereham?
Norfolk has 28 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Dereham
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.