The Owl Playschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Holt for children from birth to 8+, open 09:00 to 15:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2023. Open since 2000, with 25 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
NR25 6SFWhat 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, 22 November 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff create a wonderfully calm and welcoming start to the children's day. They greet children with individual care, making them feel special and nurtured. Staff use familiar music and songs to help children feel safe and secure. They hold children's hands and chat to them about their morning. Children enjoy the responsibility of being chosen to complete routine tasks. They show pride in recording the weather and tell their friends, 'It is windy today.' Staff involve children in completing risk assessments. This helps children to feel involved and valued.
Children show excellent attitudes to learning. They explore with confidence and become highly engrossed in new activities. Younger children are captivated by sensory activities. Staff model how to spread shaving foam onto upturned plant pots. They gradually reveal 'wiggly worms' as plant pots are squeezed together.
Children are mesmerised and delight in trying it for themselves. Staff respond quickly to children's emerging interests. For example, children show curiosity in packaging used for boxes of chocolates. Children collaborate together to mix paint for their own pretend chocolate. Staff encourage children to make predictions about how the mixture might change colour. They promote positive behaviour and praise children when they share spoons to stir their mixture.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen support provided to parents to enable them to extend their children's learning at home.
- 22 November 2023Good
- 9 February 2018Good
- 25 November 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Owl 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.