Claydon Pre-School
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 March 2023. Open since 2010, with 26 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 0DZWhat 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, 13 March 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children have a lovely relationship with the staff. They are greeted at the door by friendly and caring staff, who welcome them into the pre-school. Children readily leave their parents and carers and go off to find their friends. Staff set out activities that children enjoy, and children choose what they want to do. They also select confidently from stored resources. Children are familiar with the consistent routines. They are given notice of when activities need to change and enthusiastically help to tidy away the resources that they have been using. Children behave well. They have a positive attitude to learning and develop the key skills needed to be ready for school.
Children readily lead their own play and learning. Staff are guided by what children want to do and chat with them as they play. Those children who learn best from being outdoors can do so. Staff provide for all areas of learning outdoors and build on children's interests. For example, when children are looking for pretend minibeasts in sand trays, a member of staff suggests that they go and find real insects. Children show a good interest in where insects may be 'hiding' and enthusiastically move around the garden, searching behind stored resources.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff teaching skills to enable them to consistently provide the highest quality of teaching that builds on what children already know and can do n review and improve the organisation of routine times, when all children are sitting together.
- 13 March 2023Good
- 29 January 2019Good
- 17 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Claydon Pre-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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.