Chives Montessori School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A day nursery in Ipswich for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in December 2023. Open since 2004, with 50 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
IP6 0HLWhat 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.
- 7 December 2022 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 8 December 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff are warm and nurturing. This helps children and babies to form strong attachments and settle easily. Staff know the children well. They focus on the individual needs of the children and their families. This has a positive impact on children's personal, social and emotional development. Behaviour is very positive across the nursery school. Staff provide gentle reminders to children about using appropriate manners and are good role models themselves. Older children are polite in their interactions with visitors. Staff encourage children to celebrate their individual achievements with each other. This helps to boost their strong emotional well-being.
Staff implement a curriculum that supports children to become confident, independent and motivated learners. The learning environment is carefully planned to provide children with practical opportunities to experiment with resources for themselves. While exploring cups of rice, younger children decide to use a spoon to transfer the contents from one cup to another. Staff encourage children to use careful and precise movements to complete this task successfully. Supporting children's awareness of sustainability and caring for the planet are centrals in the curriculum. Staff involve children in activities including composting leftover fruit, remembering to turn off the tap and growing their own vegetables. This supports children's awareness of how they can reuse natural resources and reduce waste.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to consistently build on opportunities for children to widen their ideas and extend their critical thinking skills.
- 8 December 2023Good
- 15 December 2022Needs improvement
- 23 March 2018Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Chives Montessori School
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.