The Playbox, St Johns Methodist Church Preschool
GoodBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Sudbury for children from birth to 5, open 08:30 to 15:00, 4 days a week. They do not publish prices, so that is the first thing to ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in July 2022. Open since 1995, with 28 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
CO10 1NDWhat 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, 13 July 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children arrive at the nursery excited to join in with a planned activities week.
Some children choose to have their faces painted and others wear fancy-dress animal ears and tails to join in with the day's theme. Children delight to see that adults are wearing animal ears too. They develop strong bonds with their key person and demonstrate that they feel emotionally secure. They eagerly greet their friends with a little wave as they arrive. Children are enthusiastic learners who readily lead their own play. They settle quickly into their chosen activities, chatting with their friends as they play.
Children are becoming independent learners. They look at the picture timeline to see what they will be eating at snack time. Children are learning to recognise their own name and register their name card for snack. They learn to manage their selfcare needs, such as hanging up their coats and washing their hands. This supports their readiness for the next stage in their learning, such as starting school.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to make the most of teachable moments to help children learn to use equipment correctly n strengthen staff practice to develop their questioning techniques to further extend children's thinking skills and allow them time to respond.
- 13 July 2022Good
- 17 March 2022Inadequate
- 2 March 2016Outstanding
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Playbox, St Johns Methodist Church Preschool
- 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.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.