Busy Beavers Playgroup
Good★ 5.0 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Old Catton, Norwich for children from birth to 5, open 08:40 to 14:40, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2025. Open since 2007, with 26 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
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
NR6 7DRWhat 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, 10 January 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children settle quickly and demonstrate that they feel happy and secure at this warm and welcoming community playgroup. Staff well-being is high. The longstanding staff team clearly loves working here and are very fond of the children.
This happy environment helps children to feel at ease and new children settle quickly. Staff make concerted efforts to learn about children's individual circumstances and to provide for these right form the start. Children, even those who are very new to the playgroup, settle very quickly to their play and receive effective support from staff to become immersed in their learning.
Staff rehearse simple, consistent rules daily with children who eagerly share their understanding of expected behaviours. Children learn from staff how to be kind, take turns and build good relationships. Staff teach children about emotions and help them to begin to manage their own feelings and behaviours. Children learn to express their ideas and make their needs known. Staff adopt a curriculum that fully includes every child. They skilfully develop activities and create an atmosphere where all children are able to play and learn together. Children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities, make good progress in their learning.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide parents with specific information and guidance in order to help them understand their children's individual next steps and provide ideas for how to support these at home n plan more precisely for individual children's next steps to enable them to make the best possible progress.
- 10 January 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 13 February 2024Needs improvement
- 13 March 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Busy Beavers Playgroup
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- 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
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.