NurseryWise Childcare in England
Pre-school in Downham Market

Clackclose Pre-School

GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades

A pre-school in Downham Market for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2022. Open since 2011, with 36 places.

Call 01366 691244Their website

Cost

What it costs

Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.

Funded hours

We are able to accept children under the 2 year and 3-4 year Early Education funding schemes. We also offer a limited number of 30 hour funded spaces.

What childcare usually costs in Norfolk

£5.66an hour, typical for a 2 years old
£5.50an hour, typical for a 3 and 4 years old

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.

The basics

Places, hours and the day

Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.

Who they can take
From 2 years, up to 5 year oldsRegistered with Ofsted for birth to 5.
When it's open
08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a weekFrom their Google listing
Funded hours
Takes them
Meals
Not includedDuring the session the children are offered a healthy snack. This is usually a drink of water or milk, a piece of fresh fruit/vegetable and a type of carbohydrate such as toast or crackers. We may also have cereal, yoghurts or noodles. We ask parents to contribute £0.35p per day towards the cost of
Outdoor space
Yes
How many children
36 placesMedium for England
How long open
16 yearsOpen for decades
Address
Downham Market Sure Start Children'S Centre, Paradise Road, Downham Market, PE38 9JE

Where it is

PE38 9JE
Ofsted URN EY423085On the register since 26 January 2011
Ofsted

What 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, 19 January 2022 · read the full report

What it is like to attend

Children enjoy their time in this friendly pre-school. They are warmly greeted at the door. Children are happy and engage confidently with staff, who know them well.

Several children have formed very strong attachments with their key person. This helps them to feel safe and secure. Children's behaviour is good because staff act as good role models and recognise children's achievements. Children are spoken to in a calm manner and they are praised often. Children are kind and polite. Younger children are learning how to share, while older children use sand timers, so that they know when it is their turn to use popular equipment.

Children increase their confidence as they explore the environment, both inside and outside. They make choices for themselves. Children are well engaged throughout their time in the pre-school, as staff plan and provide activities that interest the them. All children are supported by the staff who get down to their level and provide guidance as needed. They help younger children to find out what happens when they fill a bucket with sand and turn it upside down. Staff encourage older children to work cooperatively as they construct a path of bricks, before negotiating their way over the narrow path.

What Ofsted told them to improve

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:

- support staff to make the most of teachable moments to help children to become as independent as they can be n work more closely with parents to support them to extend their children's learning at home n make better use of staff supervision to support staff's continuous professional development and enhance their skills, particularly with regard to delivering the curriculum.

  • 19 January 2022Good
  • 7 May 2015Outstanding
  • 26 September 2011Good

Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.

Still missing for Clackclose Pre-School

  • What it costs
  • 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.

Before you ring

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.
  • Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.
Compare

Pre-schools within a couple of miles

This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.

Clackclose Pre-School

Pre-school · Downham Market Sure Start Children'S Centre, Paradise Road, Downham Market, PE38 9JE

GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5From 2 years08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week36 placesOpen for decades

Willow Woods Forest School

Pre-school · Chapel Farm, Downham Road, Downham Market, PE38 0BA

GoodBirth to 8+Sessions in term time, often mornings12 placesOpen a few years
1.9 mi
5 min drive
07720101836

Pick two or three to compare.

Everything here comes from Ofsted's published childcare register, under the Open Government Licence. Ratings are quoted exactly as Ofsted gave them, with their dates. Read the full Ofsted reports · How we put this together.

All childcare in Downham Market