Brandon Preschool
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Brandon for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 1997, with 30 places.
What you might pay
This setting does not publish its fees, and no national dataset holds them. This is what childcare costs across the council, as a starting point for the call.
What childcare usually costs in Suffolk
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Suffolk from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
IP27 0BQWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
Ofsted inspector, 10 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed into the pre-school by staff, who are friendly and approachable. Children have freedom to choose from a well-resourced and accessible learning environment, both indoors and outdoors. There is a good balance of free-choice and adult-led activities. This helps to capture children's attention and interest. Children use their imaginations in the role-play areas. They pretend to read a recipe before selecting paper and a pencil to 'write' a shopping list. They exercise their fine motor skills, safely handling a knife as they cut up real vegetables. Children explore their senses as they touch and feel a tray of ice. They talk about the different animals that live in cold climates. Children count the dots as they play giant dominos, learning to listen and to take turns.
Children develop good levels of self-esteem. They learn to understand their emotions and share how they feel. Children know and understand how to behave.
Staff act as good role models, praising and supporting children to play cooperatively together and to respect each other. Children, particularly those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), receive individual, tailored support. Their needs are well met. Staff actively engage and share information with other professionals, support parents and help to ensure children reach their full potential. Parents speak highly of the pre-school and the care and attention their children receive.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- enhance the quality of teaching so that all staff understand how to sequence children's learning and provide challenge effectively, particularly for the more able children, so that they get to develop their own ideas and strategies for doing things n engage more closely with parents, to promote healthier eating practices in the setting and support those children who are ready for toilet training to make the transition.
- 10 January 2023Good
- 3 February 2022Needs improvement
- 10 September 2021Inadequate
Rated Good or Outstanding at 1 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Brandon Preschool
- What it costs
- Funded hours
- Youngest age taken
- Meals
- Nappies
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
None of this is in any national dataset and this setting has not published it, which is exactly why it is worth asking.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- Can I use my funded hours here? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.