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Early Years @ Highfield - Whitehouse

Ofsted: Outstanding
(Sept 2025)
·Early Years At Highfield Whitehouse, Waterford Road, Ipswich, IP1 5NW · Suffolk
Number of places
28 places
Age range
2–4 yrs
Last inspected
Sept 2025
Local authority
Suffolk

About this day nursery

Highfield Nursery School, situated in Ipswich, offers a stimulating and nurturing environment for children aged two to five years. The nursery focuses on fostering growth and learning, providing a comprehensive educational experience from a young age.

Children begin their journey in the Butterflies room, catering to two to three-year-olds, before progressing to the Dragonflies or Bumblebees rooms once they turn three. The nursery operates with a flexible session structure, allowing attendance for mornings, afternoons, or full days between 9 am and 3 pm.

For added convenience, Highfield Nursery School also provides optional breakfast and after-school clubs. The admissions process is straightforward, requiring an online application and supporting documentation such as a birth certificate and proof of any applicable funding.

Highfield Nursery School is committed to supporting families and offers various government funding options for eligible children, including universal 15-hour funding for three and four-year-olds, 15-hour funding for disadvantaged two-year-olds, and extended 30-hour funding for working families.

What it's like

The curriculum is exceptionally well planned and implemented, with staff planning learning around carefully chosen storybooks that capture children's interests and reflect their home lives. Staff are highly attentive to children's needs, adapting the environment to help them make the best progress possible, and fostering an environment that promotes independence, responsibility, resilience, and essential self-care skills.

Nurturing EnvironmentFlexible SessionsGovernment Funding Accepted

Pricing & funding

Funding accepted

15 hours — eligible 2-year-olds15 hours — universal (3–4 yrs)30 hours — working parents (3–4 yrs)
Pricing on request

This nursery doesn't publish its fees online. Contact them directly for an up-to-date price list and availability.

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Key facts

Opening hours

9am-3pm (sessions), 8am-9am (breakfast club), 3pm-4pm (after school club, excluding Wednesdays)

Age range

2-5 years old

Term time / All Year

Term Time

Session types

mornings, afternoons, full days

Ofsted Inspection

Ofsted rating

Last inspected 23 September 2025 · Laura Paternoster

Safeguarding effective
Overall effectiveness
Outstanding
Quality of education
Outstanding
Behaviour and attitudes
Outstanding
Personal development
Outstanding
Leadership and management
Outstanding

What it's like to attend

The curriculum is exceptionally well planned and implemented, with staff planning learning around carefully chosen storybooks that capture children's interests and reflect their home lives. Staff are highly attentive to children's needs, adapting the environment to help them make the best progress possible, and fostering an environment that promotes independence, responsibility, resilience, and essential self-care skills.

Inspector highlights

  • Leaders implement the curriculum with passion and communicate a wide range of approaches clearly to staff, resulting in engaging experiences that excite children and support their learning superbly.
  • Staff work in close partnership with families, holding regular progress meetings, sharing activity ideas, and offering resources to continue children's learning at home.
  • Leaders evaluate practice rigorously and use innovative approaches to inform improvement, with staff also reviewing their own performance, resulting in consistent, high-quality teaching.
  • Community links are strengthened through partnerships with charities, local churches, and parents' contributions of recipes from home, broadening children's experiences and helping them develop an appreciation of tolerance, respect, and cultural awareness.
  • Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make exceptional progress in their communication and developing confidence, with staff sourcing strong and timely support.
Inspection #10399482 · Source: OfstedView full Ofsted report

Inclusion & environment

How they support every child

SEND provision

Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND) make exceptional progress in their communication and developing confidence. Staff source strong and timely support for children with SEND and work closely with all other adults involved in their care. This helps to create a strong team, who are invested in securing the best outcomes for each child.

Outdoor space

Staff teach children about effective sustainability practices, such as recycling and using natural resources in the garden. Children learn to care for the environment and assess and manage risk while developing both their physical and problem-solving skills, for example, by building an obstacle course using crates and planks.

Inspection history
  • September 2025Outstanding
  • December 2019Outstanding

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This listing has been compiled from official Ofsted records, the nursery's own website, details provided directly by the nursery where available, and other trusted public sources. We regularly review and update listings to keep the information as accurate as possible. Learn more