Noahs Ark Pre School

A self-contained preschool inside the community centre at Robertson Barracks gives Noahs Ark Pre School a clear identity: care for families on the military base and those living nearby. Its own entrance separates the setting from the wider building, while Baby Room, Toddler Room and Preschool Room organise the day around different stages of childhood. There are 55 places in total.

Ofsted rated the setting Good on 11 January 2023. That assessment gives families a useful starting point, with practical strengths in adult-led learning and two specific areas for improvement to weigh alongside it.

Opening continues during some school holidays, with shorter hours when the setting operates. The distinction matters: this is a preschool with provision across part of the school holidays, rather than a wholly term-time service.

Rooms and Ages

Baby Room encourages early exploration, with its dedicated room description covering children from 3 to 18 months. Toddler Room takes children from 18 months to around 3 years and emphasises discovery through engagement with their surroundings. Preschool Room supports children from around 3 years until school, using hands-on activities to develop skills for that next stage.

These separate spaces give the setting a clear progression from baby care to school preparation. The youngest starting age needs particular attention before joining, because the setting overview also describes Baby Room as beginning at six weeks.

Learning and Activities

The early years foundation stage sets the framework for children's learning, development and care. In everyday language, it connects what children learn with how they play, communicate and become more independent; it is the baseline for provision here.

In January 2023, adult-organised activities linked new ideas to children's experiences. Toddlers made dough caterpillars after discovering real ones outdoors, connecting a physical activity with something they had recently seen. Older children explored what happens when snow melts and encountered letter sounds through engaging activities. These examples show the substance beneath the curriculum: practical experiences became starting points for conversation and new concepts.

The same January 2023 account included a calming yoga activity for older children and songs and rhymes with babies. Activity and quieter periods both had a place in the day. For a parent, that balance is more useful than a curriculum label alone: it shows how movement, language and rest fitted into the children's experiences at that time.

Outdoor and Community Life

In January 2023, digging outside gave toddlers the caterpillar discovery that staff later brought into their dough activity. Outdoor exploration therefore connected with learning indoors, rather than remaining a separate part of the day.

Robertson Barracks is also central to whom the preschool serves. Families from the base and the surrounding area can use the same setting, giving civilian families access to provision within the barracks community centre.

Relationships and Communication

In January 2023, children turned to their key person for comfort, and staff learnt about families early in their time at preschool so they could respond to individual needs. Photographs of children, relatives and friends were displayed on the walls. That is a concrete way to bring familiar people into a child's preschool surroundings.

Daily routines at that time encouraged independence, while babies and younger toddlers had supported opportunities to investigate their room. The emphasis was on helping children try things for themselves while keeping an adult relationship close by.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At its January 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and assessed support for children with special educational needs and disabilities positively, including joint work with families and professionals and review of individual development plans.

Current team roles include a setting SENCo, safeguarding leadership and key-person responsibilities across the rooms. Those roles identify where responsibility sits for additional support and day-to-day relationships; they should be considered alongside the dated assessment rather than treated as a new judgement of effectiveness. Leadership qualifications include a foundation degree in early years and leadership, and room leadership includes childcare and education qualifications.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is Robertson Barracks, Worthing Road, Swanton Morley, Dereham, NR20 4TX. Opening hours are 7.30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday. When the preschool operates during half terms and holidays, its hours reduce to 9am to 4pm on those weekdays. Families whose working day extends into the late afternoon need to account for that change.

The setting opens for 46 weeks each year. Closures comprise two weeks at Christmas, two at Easter and two in August, usually the first two weeks of that month. Christmas and Easter closures follow Norfolk school term dates. This offers some holiday childcare, but the closure pattern still needs to fit the family calendar.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Education Entitlement funding is offered from 9 months old. Eligible families can use 30 funded hours each week during term time only, with funding dates following the Model Calendar used by Norfolk County Councils. Additional attendance beyond those funded hours, and attendance outside term time, is paid for privately.

The distinction between opening weeks and funded weeks is important. Holiday attendance can fall within the preschool's operating calendar while still attracting private charges. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page explains the hourly charging structure.

Breakfast is offered from the start of the day, with a light tea from around 4pm. Families can make an initial enquiry through the contact form or by email to office@noahsarkpreschoolnorfolk.org.

• Baby starting age. Baby Room's dedicated description begins at 3 months, while the setting overview begins at six weeks. Confirm which starting age applies to your child before arranging a start.
• Older children's free play. In January 2023, adult input during older children's self-chosen play needed strengthening. On a visit, ask how practitioners now extend learning during those periods.
• Toddler story times. In January 2023, background noise sometimes distracted toddlers from shared stories. Ask how the room now creates quieter opportunities for listening.
• Holiday cover and funding. Holiday opening ends at 4pm, and funded entitlement is term-time only. Families planning holiday attendance need both the shorter day and private charges to fit their arrangements.

Noahs Ark Pre School suits families on the base or nearby who value separate age-stage rooms and a community-centre setting. Its opening calendar can serve families seeking term-time attendance and those needing care during some school holidays, with a shorter holiday day and private payment outside funded term-time hours.

The January 2023 assessment provides a positive foundation, while its two improvement priorities give parents precise issues to explore. For babies, resolving the starting-age difference is the first practical decision; for older children, the quality of adult involvement during play and the conditions for listening deserve attention.