Little Acorns Pre School
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Ipswich for children from birth to 5, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2025. Open since 1997, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
All three and four-year-olds are entitled to fifteen hours of funded education a week with a 'registered provider'. Eligible three and four year olds may also be able to access an additional 15 hours of funding. Under the government funding scheme from September 2025 eligible two year olds are entitled to 30 hours of funding.
Worth knowing. There is also a voluntary consumable charge of 50p per session for funded children. If you do not wish to pay for these consumables, for example because you wish to provide your own, we would ask that you make the Pre-School aware so next steps can be discussed.
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
IP4 4JDWhat 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, 1 July 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive with a spring in their step, eager to talk to the friendly and nurturing staff who greet them with a smile. Staff know the children very well as they offer home visits and tailored settling-in process, where they take time to get to know them and their families. This prioritises children's emotional well-being from the beginning and means children swiftly build strong and caring attachments to staff.
A large focus of the well-planned curriculum aims to provide children with what they need to speak clearly, enjoy books and make sense of the natural world around them. Staff provide opportunities to learn about life cycles, through growing fruit and vegetables in the pre-school allotment. This supports children's understanding of where food comes from and healthy lifestyles. Staff complement children's wider experiences with opportunities to experience ducklings hatching in spring and visits to the local library and parks.
Children use sand timers to take turns, showing they have learned fair ways to play cooperatively. When children find it difficult to share a popular toy, staff calmly and sensitively explain to children the impact of their behaviour on their friends. This excellent and consistent modelling from staff supports children's positive attitudes and behaviours towards others.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- improve systems to gather information from parents that help staff plan to meet the specific needs of children, particularly during periods of extreme heat n help staff to consider how available resources can be used to further enhance children's creativity and support them to achieve their next steps in learning.
- 1 July 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 27 September 2019Good
- 28 January 2016Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Acorns Pre School
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- 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.
- What does it cost, all in? 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.