Broome and Ditchingham Pre School

Broome Common gives this village-hall preschool a ready-made connection with nature. Regular outings to the neighbouring Norfolk Wildlife Trust site sit alongside an enclosed outdoor play area and a smaller nature garden. Outdoor discovery belongs to the ordinary day here, rather than being reserved for occasional trips.

At its September 2025 inspection, Ofsted judged Broome and Ditchingham Pre School Good, found safeguarding effective and recognised how work with parents and other professionals supported children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). There are 18 places in total. Children attending in September 2025 were aged two to four; that is the age range observed at that visit.

The setting runs during term time, with opening hours extending into the afternoon from Monday to Thursday and finishing at midday on Friday. Its non-profit structure gives parents and local community members a role through a voluntary management committee. Fundraising helps support an offer that carries no additional-service charges.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) guides learning through play, conversation and activities that develop children's knowledge, independence and readiness for school. It is the shared framework for early years provision; the character here comes from how the day is organised around children's interests, indoor choices and access to the outdoors.

Inside, designated learning bays give activities a recognisable place, while additional resources let children make choices about their play. Open-ended materials encourage exploration rather than a single prescribed result. Daily group activities led by adults sit alongside this independent play, with more adult direction introduced as children become ready for it. Songs, rhymes and conversation are woven into routines, so language development extends beyond a separate group activity.

In September 2025, seasonal themes and books shaped activities, and children selected books from a mobile library. An apple-tasting activity linked practical skills with vocabulary: children cut fruit safely, compared varieties and talked about the parts of an apple. That gives a clear example of learning several things through one familiar experience.

Outdoor and Community Life

Children can choose to use the outdoor learning space throughout their session, with daily opportunities to play outside in different weather. The enclosed area allows physical play, while the smaller nature garden provides another setting for exploration. In September 2025, children searched for insects in the wildlife garden and used a beetle's legs as a counting opportunity. The surroundings supplied the subject matter.

Broome Common extends that connection beyond the preschool boundary. Outings happen regularly, with an emphasis on noticing nature and caring about it. The frequency matters: this is a recurring part of the experience, although it should not be read as a fixed weekly timetable.

Environmental habits also have practical expression indoors. Foulger's Dairy supplies milk in glass bottles that are returned after washing, and Clays donates leftover paper for artwork. Children sort lunch-box rubbish for recycling, while the preschool has a compost bin and is trying to turn fruit and vegetable leftovers into compost. These routines make reuse something children participate in, rather than simply hear about.

In September 2025, settling began before children started attending independently. Staff gathered detailed information from parents and observed children during stay-and-play sessions, then used that knowledge to plan activities. This gave the first weeks a starting point in the child's interests and needs, rather than a standard programme for every newcomer.

Support for independence was practical and gradual. During that September 2025 visit, staff helped children pour their own drinks at snack time, offering enough assistance for them to practise the task themselves. Timers helped children take turns, and adults demonstrated ways to handle friendship difficulties. Small routines gave children opportunities to do more for themselves and consider others.

Communication with families was also substantial in September 2025. Parents received daily updates and guidance for supporting learning at home, while staff directed families towards other services when needed. Speech and language therapists were among the professionals involved. Assessment informed targeted teaching, connecting children's next steps with the support around them.

There were two clear points for development in September 2025. Staff sometimes missed opportunities to take children's thinking further during play, and explanations about hygiene were inconsistent. Staff needed to explain more consistently why handwashing should happen immediately before children sit down for a meal, to reduce the spread of germs. These are useful topics for a visit because they concern the detail of everyday interactions, rather than the presence of activities or routines alone.

Sessions and Attendance

The preschool operates at Ditchingham Village Hall, Loddon Road, Ditchingham, Bungay, NR35 2RA. It follows Norfolk school terms and runs during term time only. Opening hours are 9am to 3pm from Monday to Thursday, and 9am to midday on Friday. The shorter Friday is a meaningful constraint for families organising work or other childcare.

Unfunded attendance is charged by three-hour session. This gives families a session-based charging structure, while the opening hours establish the boundaries of the preschool day. Current prices come in the preschool's written quotation.

Funding and Paid Extras

Early Education funding entitlement for two-, three- and four-year-olds is offered through Norfolk County Council. The preschool can deliver up to 27 funded hours a week over 38 weeks, subject to availability. This is a term-time arrangement, so families needing care during school holidays will need a separate plan.

Hours outside funding are paid privately, and there are currently no charges for additional services. Christmas and summer raffles, together with sponsored events, support fundraising led by the voluntary management committee. Families' involvement therefore has a practical role in supporting the preschool.

Children bring packed lunches from home, while snack fruit and vegetables are sourced from a local greengrocer, using seasonal produce where possible. Families using reusable nappies can have them bagged and returned for washing at home.

• Term-time coverage. Attendance follows Norfolk school terms, and Friday closes at midday. Match that calendar and shorter day against the care your family needs.
• Teaching and hygiene. September 2025 improvement points concerned extending learning during play and explaining hygiene more consistently. On a visit, ask how staff have changed these everyday interactions.
• Funding and everyday supplies. Funded attendance can cover up to 27 hours weekly over 38 weeks, subject to availability, and lunches come from home. Ask which non-food supplies families should bring and how your preferred attendance would be booked.

Broome and Ditchingham Pre School suits families seeking term-time preschool with regular contact with nature and a practical emphasis on independence. Broome Common outings, freely accessible outdoor play and everyday recycling give its environmental approach substance. The village-hall setting also comes with a community role for parents through its voluntary committee.

The September 2025 judgement provides a positive foundation, with specific development work around teaching interactions and hygiene. For families whose care needs fit the opening week and school-term calendar, the strongest attraction is the combination of outdoor exploration, child-led choices and purposeful daily routines.