Hartest Pre-School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Bury St. Edmunds for from 1 year 8 months up to school age, open 08:30 to 15:30, 5 days a week. £57.45 a day for 2-year-olds, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in November 2022. Open since 2007, with 24 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
| Age | Full day | Session | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-year-olds2y to 3y | £57.45 | £7.66Lunch Club £22.98Morning, 3 hrs £26.81Afternoon, 3.5 hrs £30.64Morning & Lunch, 4 hrs | |
| 3 & 4-year-olds3y to 4y | £42.24 | £5.66Lunch Club £16.98Morning, 3 hrs £19.81Afternoon, 3.5 hrs £22.64Morning & Lunch, 4 hrs |
Funded hours
15 and 30 hour funded sessions available for 2,3 and 4 year olds (conditions apply).
Worth knowing. 20 – 24 months only accepted if they receive government funding.
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
IP29 4DLWhat 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, 30 November 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thrive in this welcoming and nurturing environment. They develop strong bonds with the staff, who greet them with cuddles and smiles as they arrive.
Children are eager to explore and investigate their surroundings. They watch with fascination as the 'moon' dough changes texture in their hands. Younger children squeal as they squeeze it through their fingers. They tell staff, 'it feels soft'. You can hear a buzz of excitement as children play alongside each other. They laugh and giggle as they paint the fence with water using different-sized rollers and paintbrushes.
Children learn from a broad curriculum that reflects their interests and builds upon what they know and can do. For example, children line up guttering and milk crates to make a bridge in the garden. They call out, 'be careful of the water', as they walk along the bridge. Staff support children to problem solve as they assemble soft bricks together. Children tell staff, 'we need a drill to fix them together'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to be consistent with challenging children in mathematics so they make the best possible progress.
- 30 November 2022Good
- 20 April 2017Good
- 26 February 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Hartest Pre-School
- 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
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 £57.45 a day 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.
- Do you have a place for a child of my age now? 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.