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Nursery at Wimbotsham and Stow Academy
Last reviewed: October 2026 · Inspection data and key information above update regularly, however, this review below is refreshed bi-annually and may not reflect recent changes. Contact the nursery directly to confirm current arrangements. If you spot anything outdated or inaccurate, please let us know.
Ducklings brings preschool and Reception together in one class, giving the nursery a place within the school's early years provision. Wimbotsham and Stow Academy welcomes children aged 3 and 4, with sessional care starting in the term after their third birthday. This is a school-based preschool with a choice of mornings or full days.
On Chapel Lane in Wimbotsham, the school occupies a building whose original section is Victorian, with extensions added later. The practical distinction for families is the nursery's session model: a shorter morning can fit a child's first experience of group care, while the full-day option extends through the afternoon.
Choice has a named place in Ducklings: COOL time means Choose Our Own Learning. In the shared class's autumn 2025 plans, children were to choose activities, discuss their intentions at circle time and later reflect together. Planned options included role play, construction, a creative area and playdough. The emphasis was on making decisions as well as taking part.
The Pets theme that term connected stories with practical activities. Little Red Hen supported storytelling with actions; children were also to make bread, create portraits of pets and build animal models from reused materials. These are concrete examples of early years learning: language, making and exploration meet within the same theme. They describe that term's shared class programme, rather than a fixed nursery timetable.
Whiterose Maths is used from nursery onwards. Its approach moves between handling objects, pictures and abstract ideas, giving children practical ways to explore mathematical concepts. Other early years learning includes talking about events from children's own lives and exploring technology.
Outdoor activity is daily in Ducklings, including wet weather. The autumn 2025 plans included climbing, balancing and painting on a large scale, alongside finer movements with scissors, dough and tweezers. A suitable coat matters here. Indoors and outdoors both form part of the class's learning space.
Preschool meals, snacks and consumables sit outside the funded education entitlement. Contributions for these are voluntary, and families may provide their own; a reduction or waiver can also be discussed with the class teacher. That gives parents a choice about how food and supplies are arranged alongside their child's sessions.
For children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), support is planned with parents. Where additional help is needed, families meet the class teacher to agree a SEN Support Plan, with reviews at least termly. Adaptations can include preparing children for a changed routine, modelling language and using extra resources. This makes the support discussion about what an individual child needs during the day.
In July 2022, early years children developed familiarity with books through daily storytelling and conversations about stories. Learning about feelings, friendship, privacy and safety also began in early years, connecting care with the skills children need to manage relationships.
Nursery attendance does not guarantee a Reception place or confer priority in the school's admission criteria. Families must make a separate application through Norfolk County Council and meet the local authority's deadline. Choosing preschool and applying for school are separate decisions.
Transition activities address familiarity rather than admission. Before starting Reception, children and parents are invited to meet the teacher and teaching assistant; children later attend a half day and a full day in their new class. These visits give families a staged introduction to the next classroom.
Morning sessions run from 8:45am to 11:45am, while All Day runs from 8:45am to 3:15pm, Monday to Friday. Early education operates for 38 weeks a year. The nursery supports the universal 15-hour entitlement and 30 hours for eligible families; additional sessions can be purchased where available. Buying extra hours is not a condition of securing funded provision.
Contact the office on 01366 382336 or office@wim.unity-ed.uk for nursery enquiries and current charges. Prospective families can arrange a school tour. For Ducklings, labelled spare clothes in a drawstring bag help conserve space in the small cloakroom, and children need a drink and a lunch box if bringing lunch.
Sessional care starts in the term after a child's third birthday. The preschool welcomes children aged 3 and 4.
Morning sessions are 8:45am to 11:45am and All Day is 8:45am to 3:15pm, Monday to Friday, across 38 weeks a year.
Yes. Additional hours do not have to be purchased to secure funded provision. The nursery supports 15 hours and, for eligible families, 30 hours.
Contributions for meals, snacks and consumables are voluntary. Families may supply their own, and can discuss a reduction or waiver with the class teacher.
No. Nursery attendance gives no priority under the school's admission criteria. A separate application must go through Norfolk County Council by its deadline.
