St Peter And St Mary's Pre-school
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A pre-school in Stowmarket 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 They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask.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 1975, 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
IP14 1LSWhat 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, 8 February 2023 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy their time at this welcoming and inclusive pre-school.
Staff greet children with warm interactions. This helps children to settle quickly and feel safe and secure. Children are keen to explore the interesting activities on offer and play with their friends. They enjoy playing in the pre-school garden. There is a hive of activity as children race around the garden path on ride-on toys. They call out, 'You can't catch me, I am fast'. Children have good opportunities to be imaginative and bring their fantasies alive. For example, they enjoy being 'builders'
Children experience a variety of stories, rhymes and songs which help them develop a wide vocabulary. Older children begin to explore rhyming words. They giggle and show their delight as they call out 'fly' and 'High'. Children are curious to gain further knowledge. For example, they share their thoughts and ideas of why it is cold outside and say, 'it is winter and 'it is freezing and frosty'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to give children clear and consistent messages on behavioural expectations, to help them manage their own behaviour more effectively n review and improve the routines at snack time, so that children do not become frustrated and restless while they wait for their food and drink.
- 8 February 2023Good
- 21 June 2017Good
- 6 March 2014Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 3 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for St Peter And St Mary's 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.