Knodishall & District Playgroup
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Saxmundham for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 15:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2022. Open since 1973, with 20 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
IP17 1UDWhat 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, 16 June 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children mostly come into the playgroup readily, and happily go off to find their friends. Those children who are more reluctant to attend are supported sensitively by familiar staff. They quickly settle and become contentedly engaged in activities.
Children enjoy staff's interactions with them. They show good levels of interest in the activities provided and they readily choose what they want to do. Those children who learn best from being outdoors can do so. Staff give the same consideration to providing for the areas of learning outside as they do indoors.
Children mostly play well together and understand the consistent rules.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- build on the opportunities children have to develop their interest in books and practise their early reading skills n support staff to manage children's behaviour in a way that will help children learn how to modify their own actions n build on the established partnerships with parents to provide them with information about what their children will be doing during the session.
- 16 June 2022Good
- 27 September 2016Good
- 15 December 2015Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Knodishall & District Playgroup
- 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.