Presmere Day Nursery

A converted farm cottage, a stream and a vegetable garden give Presmere Day Nursery a clear identity in Pettistree. With capacity for 23 children aged three months to five years, this is a small setting with substantial outdoor provision: an outdoor classroom extends play beyond the cottage, while babies have their own garden for sensory exploration.

At its March 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated Presmere Good overall, with the same judgement across education, behaviour, personal development and leadership. The detail matters more than the labels. In March 2023, older children joined adult-led learning confidently, but younger children sometimes struggled to participate in larger story groups. Improving their involvement and making everyday teaching more ambitious were the priorities.

Full days and separate morning and afternoon sessions give families more than one attendance pattern. The strongest practical attractions are the small overall capacity, the dedicated baby space and the connection between indoor play and the garden. The main educational question is how group activities now accommodate the youngest children.

Rooms and Ages

The Baby Room serves children from three to 20 months, combining a self-contained base with sleeping and play areas, a garden containing sensory plants, and objects babies can move around and investigate. That gives early exploration its own space rather than placing babies entirely within the older children's day.

From 21 months to five years, the Toddler/Pre-School Room has a maximum of twenty children, with a bright, purpose-built interior containing a book corner, space for role play, a writing area, a computer and room for messy activities. These are different ways into play: a child can choose a book, make marks or act out an idea rather than relying on one shared activity.

The room ages describe the broad progression through the nursery. Babies also spend time with older children at meals, in group activities and outdoors. Siblings can see one another, and contact with other practitioners helps babies become familiar with the people they will meet when they move rooms. The dedicated baby base and shared experiences therefore serve different purposes.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage brings communication, physical development and social learning together with literacy, mathematics, understanding the world and creative expression. At Presmere, play and observations of individual children connect those areas to daily experiences; the framework is the foundation of provision, rather than an extra programme.

The day alternates access to activities children can choose for themselves with shared stories, singing and topic discussions. Group time offers practice in listening and contributing, while periods of independent choice let children pursue an interest for longer. Outdoor and indoor resources are both part of that pattern, although free-flow access can be restricted by weather and winter conditions.

In March 2023, children explored mark-making materials, and older children began identifying friends' names and adding letters to their artwork. A pretend bus and an outdoor role-play kitchen supplied settings for imaginative play. These observations show learning taking place through recognisable experiences, rather than only through formal group teaching.

There was also a clear limitation in March 2023: routine conversations sometimes ended before staff introduced new information or developed a child's thinking further. At busy story times, the book choice and group size made participation harder for younger children. The improvement priorities concerned both access to planned learning and the ambition of teaching, including staff understanding of how to deliver the curriculum.

Outdoor and Community Life

The stream, nature area and vegetable garden give outdoor play several purposes. Children help with gardening, explore the natural surroundings and use the outdoor classroom as part of free-flow play. Growing vegetables gives them something to care for and observe over time; the classroom also makes outdoor provision more than a break between indoor activities.

Babies have prams and buggies for village walks, including outings to feed ducks. Within the nursery, their own garden offers sensory plants and objects to explore as they become more mobile. The outdoor arrangements therefore extend to the youngest children, rather than beginning only when they move into the older room.

Relationships and Communication

Every child has a Keyperson responsible for their Learning Journal, an individual account built from photographs and written observations. Parents can view it at the nursery and contribute to it. This gives family conversations a concrete starting point: what a child has tried, how their interests are changing and what staff have observed.

For babies, a daily diary records their routine and activities and goes home at the end of the day. Staff aim to continue routines already established at home. Together, the diary and Learning Journal address different timescales: the immediate account of a baby's day and the longer account of their development.

In March 2023, settling arrangements could be adapted for children who had experienced fewer opportunities to socialise during the pandemic. Babies received close physical comfort, and children developed bonds with familiar staff. Those are dated observations of care, rather than a promise about any individual child's settling experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the March 2023 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding effective and children with special educational needs and/or disabilities well supported, with individual attention and additional communication strategies helping them participate and progress. Current support roles include a SENCO and deputy SENCO, providing identified responsibilities for coordinating additional needs.

The baby space includes a sleeping area, allowing rest to remain part of its own room arrangements. In March 2023, hygiene routines were consistently followed, including children washing their hands after using tissues. These are practical aspects of care alongside the educational day.

A nursery cook prepares food, and lunches are home-cooked; the menu includes chicken casserole, spaghetti bolognese and cheese and tomato pizza. Vegetarian diets and other dietary needs are catered for, and babies' meals can be adapted to their individual needs.

Moving towards school involves passing relevant Learning Journal information to receiving schools and encouraging Reception teachers to visit children before they leave. The emphasis is continuity: adults at the next setting can learn about the child before the transition, rather than beginning with no account of their nursery experiences.

Sessions and Attendance

Presmere's full day runs from 8am to 5.30pm. Morning sessions run from 8am to 1.30pm, and afternoon sessions from 12.15pm to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. Both shorter sessions include lunch, so the afternoon pattern begins before the midday meal rather than after it.

The minimum booking is two sessions or days each week. The nursery operates throughout the year, closing on bank holidays and for approximately two weeks at Christmas. Families therefore need to consider both the weekly commitment and holiday cover when choosing their pattern.

Enquiries can be made by telephone or through the contact form. Enrolment requires a completed form and supporting documents, including evidence of the child's date of birth and relevant documentation about medical or additional needs. Collection arrangements also form part of enrolment, with an emergency password and advance notification when someone other than a parent will collect.

Getting There

The address is 2 Potash Cottages, Pettistree, near Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 0JB. There is a car park with limited parking, so families using it need to allow for a constrained collection space.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered to eligible children from the term after they reach nine months. Private hourly care, full days and shorter sessions are also offered. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation; the fees page sets out the charging categories.

Shorter-session prices include lunch, while snacks, lunch with dessert and tea also carry separate listed charges. Non-food supplies are treated separately: funded hours attract a consumables charge covering items such as tissues, face wipes and creams, while parents supply nappies and formula milk.

A deposit is required on enrolment and is refunded after the termly funding claim has been submitted; it is retained if the family decides against taking up the place. Leaving requires four weeks' written notice or payment for that period instead. Fees are payable in advance, and late collection attracts an additional charge.

• Younger children's participation. In March 2023, some younger children found group stories difficult to join, and everyday conversations did not always extend learning. During a visit, ask how stories are organised now and how practitioners adapt planned activities for babies and younger toddlers.
• A broad older-room age span. The Toddler/Pre-School Room serves children from 21 months to five years and can accommodate twenty. Ask how the room is organised when children at different developmental stages attend together.
• The whole attendance bill. Shorter sessions include lunch, but food has separate charging categories and funded hours carry a consumables charge. Compare a written quotation for your chosen pattern, including nappies and formula supplied from home.
• Weekly commitment and closures. Attendance starts at a minimum of two sessions or days weekly, with bank-holiday and Christmas closures. Match that commitment to your childcare needs before enrolling.

Presmere suits families seeking a small cottage-based nursery with a dedicated baby base and substantial outdoor experiences, whether they need full days, morning sessions or afternoon care. The stream, vegetable garden and outdoor classroom give children concrete places to explore, while the Keyperson and Learning Journal arrangements provide a continuing account of their development.

The March 2023 Good judgement sits alongside specific teaching priorities, especially younger children's involvement in group learning. Families weighing Presmere should give those priorities as much attention as its appealing physical setting and compare the complete charge structure against their chosen attendance pattern.