Little Buds Pre-School
Good★ 4.9 on GoogleBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Newmarket for children from birth to 5, open 09:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in February 2023. Open since 1990, with 24 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
CB8 7RXWhat 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, 20 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy to attend this pre-school. Staff are sensitive to the needs of children who may need extra support to separate from their parents. Children have plenty of opportunities to recognise their name in print, such as when they selfregister on arrival and at snack time. They confidently move around the pre-school, demonstrating their knowledge of the routine. The environment is well resourced and planned, which supports children's independence.
Children engage well with the activities staff plan. In the morning, they delight in taking part in a weekly music group. They enthusiastically sing songs and nursery rhymes. Children learn concepts such as 'fast' and 'slow' as they shake their instruments to the music. They learn new words, such as 'tempo', when discussing the pace of the songs. Children are happy and show great concentration throughout the music session. They learn how to add and subtract the number one when singing different songs and rhymes.
Staff have high expectations of children's behaviour. When it is time to tidy up, all children help to put resources back where they belong. Children know where items go and need very little support from staff.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- provide children with more opportunities to learn about diversity and differences in people n develop monitoring systems to provide regular supervision and support for managers.
- 20 February 2023Good
- 13 June 2017Good
- 13 June 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Buds 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.