Merryfields Playschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Diss for children from birth to 8+, open 8am to 6pm. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in September 2024. Open since 2010, with 19 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
IP22 4DXWhat 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, 27 September 2024 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff are nurturing and enthusiastic in their approach. They spend time with children and get to know them when they first start. Leaders ensure that there is an effective key-person system. This helps children to settle quickly and form reassuring bonds with staff. Staff provide a calm environment and support simple routines to create a safe and consistent experience for children. This helps to foster children's confidence and positive behaviour. Staff have high expectations for children. They give children plenty of time to complete tasks for themselves and learn from engaging in riskier play. For example, children quickly gain the skills necessary to climb carefully up the ramp and jump off the end.
Staff encourage children to freely access the interesting array of resources, inside and outdoors. Consequently, children become immersed in their exploratory play and often work together following the same theme. While there is a strong emphasis on supporting children to lead their own play, staff demonstrate good skills in building on children's ideas. This helps children to widen their knowledge of how things work and how to be resourceful. Staff skilfully incorporate mathematical language into children's play. They encourage children to order pine cones by size and use terms such as 'smallest' and 'largest'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- help staff to build on their knowledge and understanding of strategies to support children to make the most progress they can in their communication and language development.
- 27 September 2024Good
- 2 November 2018Good
- 26 November 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Merryfields Playschool
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.