Barn Owls

Between the ages of approximately 3 and 4 years old children progress into our Barn Owl Nursery.

Within our Barn Owl Nursery our children are offered a curriculum which is designed to provide them with a structured platform to build upon when commencing school. Our aim is to work very closely with all of the local Infant Schools and, during the summer term, we invite all of the relevant Reception Class Teachers into our Nursery in order that they can observe our children within their own familiar surroundings.

Our Barn owl nursery is divided into two separate areas.

Main Nursery

Our main Barn Owl classroom offers our children a craft area with sand and water table top activities and an extensive role play imaginative play area. Our sand and water area offers dry and wet sand alongside various resources. Our extensive imaginative area offers versatile furniture that can be adapted to become anything the children’s imagination will let it be. The role play area is arranged in an accessible way to encourage our children to explore and handle resources whilst put in believable places. We have the luxury of having a separate toilet and sink area which is accessed directly from both rooms to encourage independent skills.

Classroom with wooden floors, small tables, and colorful chairs arranged in a cozy, welcoming environment. Bunting decorates windows, adding a festive touch.

Classroom with wooden floors, art supplies on tables surrounded by blue chairs. Sunflowers in a vase add brightness. Shelves with bins line the walls.

Preschool classroom with cozy reading corner featuring floor cushions and books, a small indoor garden with faux plants and pinecones, and a bright, inviting atmosphere.

Bright classroom with toys, a play mat, and a cozy reading nook. Green plants and colorful decor create a welcoming, playful atmosphere.

Curriculum Room/School readiness area

Our curriculum room is situated adjacent to our main Barn Owl nursery and offers the children a completely new environment.

Within our curriculum room we offer our children with the opportunity to join in with group time at the start of each session and story time at the end. We also offer our children with the opportunity to access information technology which is in the form of children’s specific fire tablets. These can be accessed on our IT table area or can easily be transported to the comfy cushion area within our curriculum room.

Our curriculum room also offers our Barn Owl children the opportunity to read from a selection of age appropriate books. Our book area contains floor cushions where children can snuggle with a friend or a staff member and look at books within a calm environment.

A woman and child engage in a playful water activity in a lush garden. The child pours water, which flows through a wooden contraption into a bucket.

A young boy and a woman with long hair are crouching in a garden, picking raspberries from a wooden planter. Sunlight highlights the lush greenery.

Barn Owl Library

Our Barn Owl library offers parents and children the opportunity to view and borrow from a selection of age appropriate books and share these together at home.

Little owls Day Nursery Scarning dereham norfolk

Hands picking strawberries in a garden. A child's hand holds a ripe strawberry, while an adult's hand with a floral tattoo helps, showing care and togetherness.

Children roasting marshmallows over a fire pit, daylight filtering through trees. The scene conveys warmth, togetherness, and childhood joy.

Two young children sit outside on a wooden bench, wearing red caps. They are eating with happy expressions. A wooden fence is in the background.

Bright, spacious preschool classroom with wooden floors. Features play areas, tables with blue chairs, wall displays, and large windows letting in natural light. Inviting and organized atmosphere.

Our Early Years Education

At Little Owls we learn through play. We believe the most important factors in the early years is giving the children the opportunities and experiences that help them develop their sense of self and pride in their unique and individual skills and abilities.

80% of the children’s day is interest driven play which is enhanced and scaffolded by our team of experienced nursery practitioners. Our continuous provision means there is always an abundance of literacy, imaginative play, opportunities to recreate roles and experiences, opened ended creative play, malleable and messy play, engagement with our natural world and opportunities to construct and create.

20% of the children’s day is ‘Adult Led’ this term refers to activities and experiences that the adults plan and deliver specifically based on children’s stage of development. In planning for this our team triangulate the principles of meaningful learning by considering – what the children already know, what their interests are – and what’s going on in the world around them. Meaningful learning experiences are then planned and delivered to support your children’s continued progress across the Early Years Foundation Stage & Birth to Five Matters.