NurseryWise Childcare in England
Day nursery in Bury St Edmunds

Little Larks Day Nursery

GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established

A day nursery in Bury St Edmunds for babies from 3 months up to school age, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in August 2025. Open since 2017, with 70 places.

Call 01284 761676Their website

Cost

What it costs

Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.

Funded hours

Currently all 3 and 4 year olds are entitled to 15 hours childcare support with eligible working parents being entitled to 30 hours a week.

Worth knowing. Funded hours do not cover any meals, additional services or extras within the session.

What childcare usually costs in Suffolk

£6.33an hour, typical for a 2 years old
£6.00an hour, typical for a 3 and 4 years old

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.

The basics

Places, hours and the day

Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.

Who they can take
Babies from 3 months, up to school ageRegistered with Ofsted for birth to 8+.
When it's open
08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a weekFrom their Google listing
Funded hours
Takes them
Meals
Not includedOur non-funded costs include breakfast (before 9am), snacks, two course lunch, a light tea with dessert and refreshments.
Settling in
They offer settling sessions
Outdoor space
Yes
How many children
70 placesLarge for England
How long open
9 yearsLong established
Address
Low Green, Nowton, Bury St Edmunds, IP29 5ND

Where it is

IP29 5ND
Ofsted URN EY545741On the register since 14 June 2017
Ofsted

What 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 has looked into 2 concerns about this setting. That means something was raised and Ofsted acted on it. It does not by itself say what was found — the documents do.

Ofsted inspector, 21 August 2025 · read the full report

What it is like to attend

Children are welcomed by warm, friendly staff as they start their day. They separate well from parents and become quickly engrossed in the inviting learning environment. All children show that they feel relaxed and safe. The trusting relationships they build with others help them to become confident learners.

Staff clearly understand the aims for children's learning. They observe children to check their progress against their high expectations, then use their findings to plan ways to build further on children's knowledge and skills. Their understanding of ways to support children's learning is strong overall. Activities are planned carefully to meet the needs of children taking part. This helps to ensure that all children make good progress.

Staff model and guide children's behaviour through effective teaching and guidance. Children learn how to share resources and take turns when playing with their friends. Children use words such as 'It is my turn next,' 'please' and 'thank you' in context. Strong, trusting relationships are embedded between the children and the staff. Staff teach children about their feelings, and they are encouraged to express themselves and describe what makes them happy or sad. This helps children to learn to self-regulate their emotions.

What Ofsted told them to improve

To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:

- adapt adult-led activities more effectively to support all children to benefit from the learning opportunities on offer.

  • 21 August 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
  • 4 December 2019Good
  • 12 March 2019Needs improvement

Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.

Still missing for Little Larks Day Nursery

  • What it costs
  • 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.

Before you ring

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.
  • 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.
Compare

Day nurseries within a couple of miles

This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.

Colourbox@Redwoods

Day nursery · Nowton Park Centre, Bury Road, Bury St. Edmunds, IP29 5BD

OutstandingBirth to 8+08:00 to 17:15, 5 days a week30 placesOpen a few years
0.7 mi
14 min walk
07981396417Their website

Cygnets (Whelnetham)

Day nursery · The Old School Hall, Stanningfield Road, Great Whelnetham, IP30 0UA

OutstandingTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+From 2 years 9 months08:00 to 17:00, 5 days a week24 placesOpen for decades
1.3 mi
4 min drive
01284 386220Their website

Pick two or three to compare.

Everything here comes from Ofsted's published childcare register, under the Open Government Licence. Ratings are quoted exactly as Ofsted gave them, with their dates. Read the full Ofsted reports · How we put this together.

All childcare in Bury St Edmunds