Bishy Barnabees Day Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Dereham for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2022. Open since 2008, with 74 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
15 and 30 hours childcare.
What childcare usually costs in Norfolk
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Norfolk from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
NR20 3JYWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 7 December 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children come into the setting happily and are greeted warmly by staff, often their key person. They separate confidently from their parents and carers and quickly become engaged in exploring the available activities for the day. Staff form close, secure relationships with the children and ensure that they know each child well.
Children demonstrate that they feel emotionally safe and secure through their confidence when approaching all staff members. Children happily share their needs with staff and ask for help. Children's requests are always responded to positively, showing high levels of consideration towards the children's feelings. Children are well supported in developing positive relationships, resulting in the children demonstrating good behaviour and acting with care and kindness towards each other.
Children are provided with a wide variety of learning opportunities throughout the provision. Staff use their extensive knowledge of the children and their interests to plan engaging activities. Through staff's planning of the environment, interactions and scaffolding of learning, all children have the opportunity to achieve and progress. Children are encouraged to develop their language through songs, rhymes and sharing books. Children even mimic this by sharing books with each other, holding books appropriately and using illustrations to retell familiar stories to their friends.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the planning of the provision and resources to offer children more opportunities for ambitious challenge, to create a learning environment that offers extension to planned activities.
- 7 December 2022Good
- 7 April 2017Good
- 14 January 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Bishy Barnabees Day Nursery
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.