Catey Pre- School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A pre-school in Bury St. Edmunds for children from birth to 8+, open sessions in term time, often mornings. £6.00 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in April 2023. Open since 2012, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| All ages | £46.50excluding hot meal | £6.00Pre-school children only £15.50Morning or Afternoon, 3 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £3.50 cooked meal supplied from Cockfield CEVCP School kitchen
- £3.50 a session Lunch club
- £3.60 hot mealwith lunch club
Where this came from
The outlined line is the one the price was taken from.
Funded hours
15 or 30 hours per week.
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
IP30 0LAWhat 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, 20 April 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children make firm friendships at this caring, nurturing pre-school. They arrive with big smiles and greet their friends with spontaneous hugs. They wave and say 'good morning' when they notice other children arrive. Children hold hands and dance around to music. They smile and tell each other, 'You are my friend'. Children settle quickly and show that they feel safe and secure. They explore the inviting learning opportunities with confidence and curiosity. Children use rolling pins and cutters to mould play dough into 'crumpets'. They poke their fingers into the dough and notice patterns forming. Children know where their favourite toys are kept. They delve into boxes to find the toy dinosaurs they like. They show them to their friends and explain which are the biggest and smallest.
Children show good attitudes to learning. They demonstrate determination as they work out how to fit facial features into toy 'heads'. They explore how to arrange mouths into happy and sad faces. Children become engrossed in filling syringes with water. They work cooperatively to fill containers, taking it in turns to squirt water onto guttering. They squeal with delight as they observe water collecting in trays. They reward each other with 'high fives'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on staff practice and seek further ways to help all staff to consistently support the play and learning experiences for children n support staff to recognise when children are deeply engaged in their learning to allow them to sustain high levels of concentration.
- 20 April 2023Good
- 15 September 2022Needs improvement
- 18 October 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Catey Pre- School
- Youngest age taken
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- Is £6.00 a session still the rate? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? 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.