YMCA Eastleigh Nursery has been graded at the Expected Standard for Inclusion under Ofsted’s renewed early years inspection framework, a genuine achievement built on the hard work and dedication of the Early Years team.
What it’s like to be a child at Eastleigh
The report paints a warm picture of everyday life in the setting. Children settle in quickly and choose their own activities with confidence, and staff were observed skilfully building on children’s natural curiosity, turning a garden discovery of frozen toy animals in ice into a hands-on lesson about melting. A “story of the fortnight” is woven through the curriculum in creative ways, from cutting pretend grass for the goats in The Three Billy Goats Gruff to persevering with tricky bottle-top twisting inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar, with children beaming with pride when they succeed.
Turn-taking is taught through playful, visual tools like sand timers for the garden trikes, and children were seen playing together, sharing resources and building resilience.
Inspectors found children build warm, trusting relationships with staff. Staff model good manners during role play, and praised children frequently for their positive behaviour, building children’s confidence and self-esteem.
Children were found to be making good progress and developing the independence, communication and self-esteem they need for their next stage of learning, from pouring their own drinks to tackling obstacle courses with a “can-do” attitude.
What the inspectors found
Achievement: All children demonstrate confidence and high levels of self-esteem as they independently explore the environment.
Behaviour and attitudes: Staff are positive role models, praising children frequently, and children learn to take turns and play collaboratively, such as using sand timers to share the garden trikes.
Welfare and wellbeing: Children feel safe and secure with kind, caring staff who know them well and meet their care needs effectively. Inspectors saw children learning to take risks safely, such as climbing trees with staff support, and developing healthy habits and growing independence, from trying new foods to progressing from closed beakers to open cups.
Curriculum and teaching: Staff deliver an ambitious curriculum designed to meet the needs of all children, adapting their teaching so every child can access it. There’s a strong focus on communication and language, and staff weave mathematics into everyday play, such as counting objects together, alongside creative learning.
Inclusion: Leaders and staff hold high expectations for every child and use assessment effectively to identify emerging needs early. They run tailored intervention groups to support children’s language, listening and attention skills, support children who speak English as an additional language with key words in their home languages, and work closely with external professionals to ensure a joined-up approach to each child’s development.
Leadership and governance: Leaders have a clear, ambitious vision for the nursery and ensure staff receive regular training and development, including recently hosting YMCA Fairthorne Group’s first organisation-wide INSET day on child development and emotional wellbeing. Leaders also model high-quality interactions for staff and are building stronger partnerships with parents through regular community events.
The New Ofsted Framework
The result comes under Ofsted’s renewed Education Inspection Framework, in place since November 2025, and it’s worth understanding just how demanding this new framework is. Providers are no longer given an overall effectiveness grade at all. Instead, each area of provision is judged individually against a tighter five-point scale: Urgent Improvement, Needs Attention, Expected Standard, Strong Standard, and Exceptional. Crucially, Ofsted defines Expected Standard as the point at which every relevant legal requirement, every piece of statutory guidance and every applicable professional standard is being met in full, there’s no partial credit. Here’s what the framework states about the Expected Standard.
Inclusion – Leaders have high expectations for these children. Typically, the support they provide reduces barriers to the children’s learning and/or wellbeing.
Curriculum & teaching – is designed so that, across all areas of learning and development, it is clear what Room Leaders and practitioners want children to know and be able to do within an ambitious curriculum.
Achievement – Children are suitably prepared for the next stage of their learning, including school, where relevant.
Behaviour – Practitioners teach children the importance of treating others with kindness, care and respect and are positive role models.
Welfare and Wellbeing – Leaders create a safe, welcoming space where children typically enjoy play, learning and social activities and have daily access to outdoor learning. Leadership – Leaders engage with parents and professionals thoughtfully and positively in a way that supports children’s education and care.
A team achievement
This result reflects sustained, embedded practice, not a single inspection-day performance. It’s a direct credit to Nikki Fullford’s leadership and the commitment of the whole Eastleigh Early Years team to knowing every child and giving them what they need to thrive.
Vikki Kennesion, Early Years Director at YMCA Fairthorne Group, said:
“Ofsted’s framework is rightly demanding, so achieving this outcome is a real testament to our Nursery Manager, Nikki and her team at Eastleigh. Their commitment to high-quality care, strong relationships with children and families, and relentless focus on giving every child the best start in life has been recognised through this inspection. We’re extremely pleased they have met the high standards we expect and proud of everything they have achieved.” Parents can read the full Ofsted inspection report for YMCA Eastleigh Nursery on the Find an Inspection Report service.
