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Nurseries in Stowmarket

There are 16 nurseries and pre-schools on the Ofsted register in Stowmarket, and 2 other childcare settings such as out-of-school clubs.

Inspection grades in Stowmarket

  • Ofsted report cards: 2 settings (6 Strong standard, 6 Expected standard)
  • Ofsted grades before November 2025: 14 settings (14 Good)

Grades are shown only where the inspectorate has published the report.

Nurseries and pre-schools

  • Bacton Under Fives - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 4LL, ages 0 to 10, 50 places
    Ofsted, 17 October 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Bunnies Daycare - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 2EF, ages 0 to 4, 17 places
    Ofsted, 17 June 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Busy Bees Day Nursery at Stowmarket - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 5GZ, ages 0 to 4, 112 places
    Ofsted, 5 July 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Buttercups Children's Nursery - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 2PN, ages 0 to 11, 63 places
    Ofsted, 10 May 2024: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Debenham Roundabout Pre-School - Pre-school, Stowmarket IP14 6PL, ages 2 to 4, 23 places
    Ofsted, 9 June 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Foxglove Montessori Nursery - Pre-school, Stowmarket IP14 1SZ, ages 2 to 4, 60 places
    Ofsted, 19 April 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Foxglove Violet Hill - Pre-school, Stowmarket IP14 1NN, ages 2 to 4, 60 places
    Ofsted, 20 April 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Great Finborough & Buxhall Under 5's - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 3AE, ages 2 to 4, 25 places
    Ofsted, 23 May 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Haughley Pre-school & The Pit Stop Out of School Club - Pre-school, Stowmarket IP14 3NS, ages 2 to 4, 24 places
    Ofsted, 21 November 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Little Explorers - Stonham Aspal - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 6AF, ages 1 to 4, 22 places
    Ofsted report card, 10 June 2026: Expected standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Old Newton Under Fives CIO - Pre-school, Stowmarket IP14 4ED, ages 2 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted report card, 25 June 2026: Strong standard in 6 areas; safeguarding standards met
  • Poppy's Children's Nursery - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 1NG, ages 1 to 4, 26 places
    Ofsted, 14 December 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • St Peter And St Mary's Pre-school - Pre-school, Stowmarket IP14 1LS, ages 2 to 4, 24 places
    Ofsted, 8 February 2023: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Sunhill Early Learning Stowmarket - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 1RQ, ages 2 to 5, 66 places
    Ofsted, 11 October 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Sunhill Early Years Stowmarket - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 1HA, ages 0 to 2
    Ofsted, 1 December 2022: Good overall; safeguarding is effective
  • Woodlands (CIO) - Day nursery, Stowmarket IP14 2BZ, ages 2 to 11, 32 places
    Ofsted, 13 January 2025: Good overall; safeguarding is effective

Out-of-school clubs and other childcare

  • Abbots Hall Out of School Club - Out-of-school club, Stowmarket IP14 1QF, 37 places
  • Kicks and Tricks at Grace Cook - Out-of-school club, Stowmarket IP14 1GG, 28 places

Nursery groups with settings here

Ofsted report cards (England, from November 2025)

Since 10 November 2025 Ofsted has graded nurseries and pre-schools on a report card. There is no single overall grade. Instead, each of six areas gets one of five grades: Exceptional, Strong standard, Expected standard, Needs attention, Urgent improvement.

The six areas are inclusion; curriculum and teaching; achievement; behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines; children's welfare and wellbeing; leadership and governance. Safeguarding is judged on its own, as met or not met.

Expected standard means the setting does what Ofsted expects of every setting. Strong standard and Exceptional are above that; Needs attention and Urgent improvement mean Ofsted found things the setting has to put right.

Source: Ofsted reports

Ofsted grades before November 2025 (England)

Inspections before November 2025 gave one overall grade on a four-point scale: Outstanding, Good, Requires improvement, Inadequate. Ofsted also graded the quality of education, behaviour and attitudes, personal development, and leadership and management, and said whether safeguarding was effective.

Settings keep their last grade until Ofsted visits again, so many nurseries still show a grade from this older scale.

Source: Ofsted reports

Funded childcare hours in England

All 3 and 4 year olds in England can get 15 hours of free childcare a week, for 38 weeks of the year.

Working parents of children aged 9 months to 4 years old can get 30 hours of free childcare a week for 38 weeks of the year (Free Childcare for Working Parents), if they meet the earnings rules. You confirm your details every 3 months.

Some 2 year olds can get 15 hours a week when the family gets certain kinds of extra support.

The hours are used at a registered provider that offers them, so ask each nursery how it offers the funded hours.

Source: GOV.UK: Free Childcare for Working Parents, check if you're eligible · GOV.UK: Free childcare and education for 2 to 4 year olds (checked 31 October 2026)

Council area

Schools in Stowmarket

Sources: Ofsted, registers as at 30 June 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.