Little Raindrops
GoodBirth to 8+Open for decades
A pre-school in Haverhill for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in January 2023. Open since 2011, with 26 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
CB9 0DUWhat 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, 26 January 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are warmly welcomed at the gate by friendly, caring staff. They eagerly enter and hang up their belongings. They point to their coat peg photo and say,
'That's me'. Children rush off to explore. They quickly become engrossed in activities of their choosing. Children dress dolls. They tuck them into pushchairs and take them for a walk. Older children roll play dough into balls to make 'sweets'.
They chat about their 'sweet factory' and tell each other, 'I'll be the chef and you be the cutter'. Children enjoy sensory activities. They spread lard onto cardboard tubes to make bird feeders. They squish lard between their fingers and say, 'This is sticky'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- ensure that the planning and implementation of the curriculum is clearly sequenced, building precisely on what children already know and can do n support staff to understand how to provide children with the appropriate challenge, to further extend their learning to the highest level.
- 26 January 2023Good
- 7 June 2017Good
- 16 June 2015Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for Little Raindrops
- 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.