Nurseries and childcare in Ipswich
We know of 33 nurseries, preschools and childcare providers across Ipswich. One is a state nursery school, shown below with its latest Ofsted inspection: 1 of 1 judged good or better. Most nurseries are private, voluntary or part of a school, and Ofsted inspects those too: every one has a report on Ofsted’s website.
State nursery schools across Ipswich
- Highfield Nursery SchoolGood or better Outstanding (2024) · phone and directions
Each name goes to its Ofsted reports. Primary schools, many with a nursery class, are on the schools page.
Nurseries and childcare by area
A few to start with
- Highfield Nursery School and Children's Centre Elementary school Chesterfield Dr, Ipswich, IP1 6DW Call
- Happy Tots Pre-School Preschool Landseer Road Methodist Church,, Landseer Rd, Ipswich, IP3 9LU 5 Call
- Ipswich Private Kindergarten Preschool 901 Woodbridge Rd, Ipswich, IP4 4NX 5 Call
- Little Acorns Pre-school Preschool Sidegate Ln, Ipswich, IP4 5 Call
- Noah's Ark Pre-School Preschool St Johns Church Hall, 74 Cauldwell Hall Rd, Ipswich, IP4 4QE 5 Call
- Rainbow Bright Day Care and Nursery School Home service 11 Crofton Rd, Ipswich, IP4 4QS 5 Call
- St John's Playtime Preschool Preschool St John's UR Church, 1 Cowper St, Ipswich, IP4 5JD 5 Call
- The Peartree Kindergarten Preschool Conway Cl, Ipswich, IP2 8PR 5 Call
- Toybox Preschool School 44 Gatacre Rd, Ipswich, IP1 2LQ 5 Call
- ABC Childcare Home service 537 Foxhall Rd, Ipswich, IP3 8LR Call
- Buzzbee Babes Preschool Bramford Rd, Ipswich, IP1 5 Call
- Crash After School Club Day care preschool Clifford Rd, Ipswich, IP4 1PJ 5 Call
- Daisy Chain Pre-school Preschool Renfrew Road, Ipswich, IP43 5 Call
- Early Years at Highfield Preschool Waterford Rd, Ipswich, IP1 5NW Call
- Gusford Primary School Day care preschool Gusford Primary School. Sheldrake Drive, Ipswich, IP2 Call
- Jack N Jill Pre-School Preschool Hawthorn Dr, Ipswich, IP2 0QY Call
- Little Leaders Childcare Day care preschool Oak Hall, Woodville Rd, Ipswich, IP4 1PD Call
- Maidenhall Neighbourhood Nursery Preschool Conway Close, Ipswich, IP2 Call
- Play Out Ipswich Day care preschool 333 Felixstowe Rd, Ipswich, IP3 9BU Call
- Quayside Nursery Day care preschool Rope Walk, Ipswich, IP4 1LT Call
- Small World Kindergarten Preschool Anglesea Rd Unit 1, Ipswich, IP1 5 Call
- Springfield Infant School and Nursery Preschool 11 Wesley Way, Ipswich, IP1 4PP Call
- St Clare House Nursery Child care and day care St. Clare House, Greyfriars, Ipswich, IP1 1LP Call
- St Helens Playgroup Preschool St. Helen's St, Ipswich, IP4 4JH Call
Choosing a nursery
- Read the latest Ofsted report. Search by name or postcode on reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Private nurseries and childminders are on it as well as school nurseries.
- Visit, and ask about the day. Ratios of staff to children, how they settle a new child in, food, naps and time outdoors.
- Ask about funded hours and extra charges. Some nurseries charge for meals, nappies or trips on top of funded hours.
- Check waiting lists early. Popular nurseries fill months ahead, especially for babies.
Questions people ask
What do Ofsted grades mean for nurseries?
Until late 2025 Ofsted gave one overall grade: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement or Inadequate. Newer inspections give a report card instead, grading each area on a scale from exceptional to urgent improvement. Older grades stay on a nursery’s record until its next inspection.
Can I get free childcare hours?
In England every three and four year old can get 15 hours a week of funded childcare in term time. Working parents can get up to 30 hours a week from when their child is nine months old, if each parent earns at least 16 hours a week at the minimum wage and under £100,000 a year. Check and apply at childcarechoices.gov.uk.
How do I check a nursery’s Ofsted report?
Search for it by name or postcode on reports.ofsted.gov.uk. Every registered nursery and childminder in England has a page there with its inspection reports.
How many nurseries are there in Ipswich?
We know of 33 nurseries, preschools and childcare providers across Ipswich, including 1 state nursery school. Childminders working from home don’t always appear on maps, so there may be more.
Other things people look for
Nursery school inspections from Ofsted, Open Government Licence. Listings from Overture Maps, the Food Standards Agency and © OpenStreetMap contributors. Missing one? Tell us.