Southgate pre-school
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Bury St. Edmunds for from 2 years up to 5 year olds, open 08:00 to 17:30, 5 days a week. £17.75 a session, and they take the funded hours. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2023, with 47 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Term time only, 38 weeks a year.
| Age | Session | |
|---|---|---|
| All ages | £17.75Am/Pm or Each, 3 hrs |
Extras
Charged on top of the session rate.
- £5.25 a day Lunchclub
- £5.25 a day Lunch club
Funded hours
Free places for 2, 3 & 4 year olds; 30 hour funding for those eligible; Two year olds with a Golden Ticket may be offered up to 15 hours funding.
Worth knowing. We will endeavour to allocate a maximum of 5 free sessions to those eligible children, however you may be eligible for up to 30 hours funding, if there is excess demand this may not always be possible. A “first come first serve” basis will operate.
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
IP33 2PWWhat 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 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Staff provide a warm, welcoming and inclusive environment for children that values each child individually and provides them with a sense of belonging. Children arrive at the pre-school excited. They are quick to leave their parents and eager and keen to begin their day. Staff use their ongoing professional development and work closely with the local authority to broaden their own knowledge. As a result, they create a high-quality learning environment that is carefully tailored to meet the needs of all children. Resources, both indoors and outdoors, are thoughtfully selected, which enables all children to become fully engaged in their learning from the moment they arrive.
Staff have high expectations for children's independence, resilience and confidence.
Children pour their own drinks and cut up their own fruit at snack time. Staff provide opportunities for children to take safe risks, such as climbing and balancing on tyres and jumping from them. Children show pride in their achievements, expressing delight and confidence in their abilities as they comment, 'I'm going to jump so far' and 'I did it.'
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- develop staff's knowledge of how to extend children's communication and language skills to enable all children to broaden their vocabulary and promote their thinking skills.
- 20 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
Still missing for Southgate pre-school
- Meals
- Nappies
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.
- Is £17.75 a session still the rate? 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.
Pre-schools within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.