Snowy's Nursery And Pre-School

A sensory garden, a mud kitchen and class teddies that travel home give Snowy's in Brundall a recognisable character: outdoor exploration sits alongside learning that families can join in with. Children aged 2 to 4 move through Squirrels and Hedgehogs, with separate spaces for nursery and preschool play. This is a charity led by a committee of parents and volunteers, giving families a route into the running of the setting as well as their child's learning.

At its 8 March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Snowy's Good overall and found safeguarding effective. The current offer combines play, growing vegetables, storytelling and preparation for school, with morning, afternoon and all-day attendance during term time.

Rooms and Ages

Squirrels, for children aged 2 to 3, combines a home corner and reading snug with messy and small-world play, while speech, sharing and choosing activities independently shape the learning emphasis. Yoga, cooking, songs and stories give younger children different ways to participate. Practical independence starts with familiar belongings: finding their peg, locating a coat or hat and taking shoes off. These are manageable tasks through which children can take more responsibility for themselves.

Hedgehogs, for children aged 3 to 4, has a reading snug, writing space, role-play area and messy-play space, with an emphasis on early literacy, maths and independent use of resources. Construction and small-world activities sit alongside group work and exploration indoors and outside. Children gradually move from Squirrels into Hedgehogs, so preparation for school begins within the nursery rather than being reserved for the final weeks before Reception.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) provides the shared framework for children's learning and care: here, play connects communication, movement, relationships, early reading and maths with creativity and discovering how the world works. Activities respond to children's interests while staff work towards learning objectives. Yoga, sport, baking and music add concrete experiences to that everyday framework; the EYFS itself is the common foundation, rather than an extra programme unique to Snowy's.

In March 2023, younger children dug vegetables from soil and practised balancing on low beams, while older children explored compass directions and used building-site and florist play to count, measure and handle transactions. Programmable toys introduced following instructions. The examples show how practical play could carry several kinds of learning at once, rather than separating maths or language into an isolated task.

Literacy also took different forms in March 2023. Older children consulted factual books about animals and continents, while others drew as they listened to stories through headphones. Younger children chose nursery rhymes using character-decorated wooden spoons. That combination gave children opportunities to choose, listen and contribute, alongside being read to by adults.

Outdoor and Community Life

The enclosed garden supports daily outdoor play across the seasons. Vegetables grow in the sensory garden, and the mud kitchen brings sand, water and mud into imaginative play. These are places to handle materials and notice change, as well as spaces for physical activity. Wellington boots, spare clothes and weather-appropriate layers belong in the nursery bag because outdoor learning continues in different weather conditions.

In March 2023, children also grew and harvested vegetables, joined physical, music and yoga sessions, and made village outings that included a church and care home. Parents and visitors shared their experiences. These were inspection-time examples of learning extending beyond the room; the current daily outdoor offer is the garden and its practical play spaces.

Relationships and Communication

Each child has a key person responsible for wellbeing and following progress. Snowy's encourages a positive goodbye and generally favours children settling with staff rather than having a parent remain. For a family approaching nursery for the first time, the important point is how that preference will be adapted to their own child, rather than treating separation as a single fixed milestone.

Tapestry Journal is the online learning journal through which key workers share observations and families can contribute their own. This makes communication two-way: something a child does at home can inform the next steps planned at nursery. Alongside everyday conversations, there are three informal parent meetings across the year and parent activity mornings each half term, giving families both individual discussion time and opportunities to join activities.

Class Bear gives each child a turn to take a teddy home and record its adventures through pictures, photographs or family-supported writing. The account returns to the group, and the key worker uses it when considering development and next steps. A lending library also lets children choose books to share at home. Both arrangements give parents a specific starting point for conversation and play, rather than simply asking what happened during the session.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found that the special educational needs coordinator responded promptly when additional help was needed and worked with other professionals, but asked for stronger implementation of individual support plans and greater staff expertise in supporting the learning of children with SEND. Those concerns matter alongside the overall Good judgement: having a plan was not enough if its practical use and staff expertise needed further work.

Current staffing arrangements include a SENCO role, safeguarding lead roles and paediatric first aid training for staff. These are care arrangements, while the dated safeguarding judgement above is the assessment of effectiveness. The distinction matters for families weighing a policy or role against what happens in practice.

Snowy's maintains links with Brundall Primary School, including regular summer-term visits, and its management and SENCO lead work with Reception teachers. This provides a practical connection between preschool and the next setting. The gradual move between Squirrels and Hedgehogs also gives children experience of changing rooms before they move on to school.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 2 Braydeston Avenue, Brundall, NR13 5JX. Snowy's opens Monday to Friday during school terms, from 8.45am to 3.15pm. Morning sessions run from 8.45am to 11.45am; afternoon sessions are from 12.15pm to 3.15pm. All-day sessions are also offered, and lunch club runs between 11.45am and 12.15pm.

Extra days can be booked in advance when the nursery can accommodate them, and are invoiced separately. The contact form handles enquiries and waiting-list requests; families can also telephone 01603 211445 or email office@snowys.org. Paid sessions are invoiced half-termly, so the payment rhythm follows blocks of the nursery year rather than individual daily payments.

Funding and Paid Extras

Snowy's accepts the 15 hours funding for all 3-4-year-olds, the 30 hours funding for eligible working families and the 15 hours funding for eligible 2-year-olds. Attendance is term-time only. Families can also pay privately for sessions, and the nursery accepts employer childcare vouchers and tax-free childcare. These payment options sit alongside the funded offer; eligibility for a particular entitlement remains a separate matter.

A consumables charge applies to each half-day session using government-funded hours, except where the family claims EYPP funding; privately paid sessions are exempt from that charge. Parents still supply nappies and wipes when needed, plus sun cream in summer, so the charge does not replace those items from home. Lunch club is charged separately, and a one-off registration charge, including a book bag, is payable when a place is offered and before the child starts.

Snacks are offered during each session, with milk and water provided through the day; lunch-club children bring their own packed lunch in a named bag with an ice pack. Snowy's publishes a nut-free policy, and children bring a named water bottle for refilling. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; its fees and funding information explains the charge structure.

Getting There

There is no parking on site, and access along the private road must remain clear; on-street parking is a short walk away. This makes parking away from the premises part of the practical routine for families travelling by car.

The nursery describes its close working relationship with Brundall Primary School as supporting transition. Attending Snowy's does not guarantee a place there: families still use the local authority admissions process for a state-school Reception place.

• Session size. Session-capacity information differs between 24 and 28 children. On a visit, ask which maximum applies to the sessions your child would attend and how children are divided between Squirrels and Hedgehogs.
• Individual support. The March 2023 improvement points concerned implementing support plans and developing staff skills for children with SEND. Families needing additional support should discuss how a child's plan is used day to day and how progress is reviewed with them.
• Settling approach. Snowy's generally encourages parents to leave children with staff after a positive goodbye. Discuss how the key person would adapt this approach if your child needs a slower separation.
• Allergies and lunch. A nut-free policy accompanies parent-provided packed lunches. Allergy-affected families should confirm current practice and how staff handle their child's requirements during snacks and lunch club.

Snowy's suits families seeking term-time morning or afternoon sessions, as well as those wanting all-day attendance, with daily garden play and clear links between nursery learning and home. Tapestry Journal, Class Bear and the lending library give parents practical ways to participate, while the move from Squirrels to Hedgehogs builds towards school.

The balance is clear: there is a Good inspection judgement from 2023 and a detailed current programme of play and family involvement, alongside specific SEND improvement points concerning support plans and staff skills. Term dates, packed lunches and parking away from the premises will shape whether it fits a family's week.