Childcare in Ipswich
Ipswich has 47 day nurseries, 26 pre-schools, 32 school nursery classes, 15 childminders and 20 after-school clubs. Ofsted has inspected 71 of them and rated 66 Good or better, 12 of them Outstanding. 69 have never been inspected, which usually means recently registered. Of those that publish a price, a full day runs from £41 to £95, typically £75. Across Suffolk there are 30 places per 100 children under five, about the same as England as a whole at 32.
Places per 100 under-fives is registered capacity at nurseries, pre-schools and childminders across Suffolk, divided by the children aged 0 to 4 who live there at the 2021 Census. It compares areas; it is not a count of free places today. It also leaves out the 127 school nursery classes across Suffolk, because nobody publishes how many children they take.
140 settings, best rated first. Search by postcode to sort them by how far they really are.
What has changed here
Ofsted does not publish closures, so we work them out by comparing releases. Worth knowing if you are working from an old list.
- Jun 2026Opened Ipswich Early Years Full day care
- Jun 2026Opened Premier Education WAC & Holiday Clubs - Dale Hall Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Opened Little Leaders Martlesham Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Bright Horizons Quayside Day Nursery and Preschool Full day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education Holiday Club - One Sixth Form College Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Butterfly Childcare Suffolk Out-of-school day care
- Jun 2026Closed Premier Education Activities - Nacton C of E Primary School Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Wonderfully MADE Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed Kicks and Tricks at Gusford Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Ipswich Town Foundation Soccer Schools Out-of-school day care
- Dec 2025Closed Acorns Nursery School Full day care
- Dec 2025Closed NSX Adventure - St Joseph's College Sessional day care
What people ask about childcare in Ipswich
Answered from the figures on this page, so they stay in step with it.
How much does nursery cost in Ipswich?
Of the 14 full-day rates published by settings in Ipswich, the typical price is £75 a day, ranging from £41 to £95. These are prices the settings publish themselves, not an average of quotes.
Which nurseries in Ipswich take funded hours?
50 of the 140 settings in Ipswich are recorded as taking the government funded hours. Councils do not publish a list of approved providers, so the rest are unknown rather than a no.
Are any nurseries in Ipswich rated Outstanding?
Yes. 12 of the 71 settings Ofsted has inspected in Ipswich hold an Outstanding grade.
Which nurseries in Ipswich take babies?
100 settings in Ipswich are registered to take children under two. Ofsted's register does not say whether a setting runs a baby room or has space in it, so ring before you plan around it.
Is it hard to get a nursery place in Ipswich?
Suffolk has 30 registered childcare places for every 100 children under five, against 32 across England. That is registered capacity rather than free places, so it compares areas rather than telling you what is available this week.
Towns close to Ipswich
Worth widening the search to, especially if you drive to work.