The Roundabout Nursery
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 5Open for decades
A day nursery in Ipswich for children from birth to 5, open 07:45 to 18:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in March 2022. Open since 2011, with 29 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
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
IP5 1AAWhat 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.
- 20 December 2024 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 17 March 2022 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children thoroughly enjoy their time in this welcoming nursery. They engage in an array of challenging and stimulating learning experiences. Staff chat to the children and explore their interests, such as planting seeds in the 'magic garden'. Babies engage in sensory play. For example, they thread small hoops on to dry spaghetti.
Children investigate their environment and show confidence to have a go at new activities. They become absorbed in what they are learning. For example, during cookery club, children learn to cut fruit safely with knives. They examine the seeds and compare the difference between a stone in a plum and a pip in an apple.
Children talk about planting the seeds and what is needed for them to grow, such as 'sun' and 'water'.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- support staff to challenge children further and aid them in building their vocabulary as much as possible.
- 17 March 2022Good
- 31 March 2016Good
- 11 July 2013Needs improvement
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 3 graded inspections.
Still missing for The Roundabout Nursery
- What it costs
- 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
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date.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.
- 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.