YMCA Nursery Eastleigh

A large garden, dedicated sleep rooms and stories that carry through into sensory play give YMCA Nursery Eastleigh a clear character. The purpose-built setting at the YMCA Community Centre accommodates energetic exploration and quieter rest across its age groups.

At its 4 July 2023 inspection, Ofsted rated the nursery Outstanding overall and in every assessed area. The current age range runs from four months to five years, with 108 places in total. Babies, Toddlers and Preschool have separate room descriptions and different emphases, rather than one account of learning applied across every age.

Weekly stories connect creative activities with Makaton signs, while the garden supports regular outdoor experiences. Full days, morning and afternoon sessions, and an earlier Breakfast Club give families several attendance patterns. Different session lengths fit around a recognisable nursery routine.

Rooms and Ages

Babies, for children aged four months to two years, emphasises sensory exploration and relationships with familiar adults, with care shaped around each child's cues; its stated ratio is one adult to three children.

Toddlers, for two- to three-year-olds, combines language-rich play with consistent routines and opportunities to practise doing things independently.

Preschool, for three- to five-year-olds, uses play, smaller-group activities and everyday routines to develop friendships, independence and early skills before school.

Breakout spaces and sleep rooms accommodate quieter activity and rest; the large garden provides space for climbing and exploration.

Learning and Activities

The nursery follows the EYFS, the common framework for early-years learning, development and care. Children learn through play, communication, movement, relationships and care routines, alongside planned activities.

A weekly book provides a thread through the activities. Children revisit the story through messy play, creative work and Makaton signs, linking what they hear with what they make and communicate. Makaton is used here as a signing element connected with stories and themes. Seasonal messy play adds sensory experiences throughout the year. Repeating an idea in different forms gives children several ways to participate, rather than expecting them to engage only by listening.

The group-wide Little Steps, Giant Leaps approach adds an emphasis on preparation for school across emotional, social, physical and early-learning skills. Its value for parents is the breadth of that preparation: independence and relationships sit alongside early learning. The group-wide Inclusive Classroom Profile is a framework for reviewing inclusion, the environment and everyday support. It provides a way to examine how nursery experiences work for different children.

In July 2023, story-linked activities included making patterns with string and paint after reading about the Gruffalo, and creating pretend crumble with dough, flour and oats. Rhyming games brought listening and turn-taking together. These examples show how one activity can involve language, materials and cooperation, with children doing something concrete rather than simply hearing an explanation.

Outdoor and Community Life

Outdoor experiences recur through the week, and the large garden gives children room to explore and climb.

In July 2023, a spider discovered in a water tray prompted discussion of its features and returning it to its habitat. Paint mixed with water and activities involving sinking and floating gave children other opportunities to investigate. These are useful examples of adults responding to children's discoveries, turning an unexpected moment into something to observe and discuss.

Relationships and Communication

Settling begins with a parent accompanying their child, followed by independent sessions that gradually become longer. Babies have an additional settling session before starting, and the pace can slow when a child needs more time. This creates a transition with room for adjustment, rather than requiring every child to separate from their parent on the same timetable.

The first settling visit covers routines, comfort items and reassurance, helping staff understand the individual child. Later sessions introduce more of the day before regular attendance begins.

Parents receive photographs, messages and updates connected with their child's key worker, alongside end-of-day handovers. There is also a deputy-manager and SENCO role within the team. For families, these provide different routes for everyday communication and discussion of additional needs, rather than leaving every concern to a single general conversation.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

At the July 2023 inspection, Ofsted found effective safeguarding arrangements and strong progress for children, including those with SEND and children learning English as an additional language, supported by communication and activities adapted to individual needs. Participation and communication were central to those findings.

Sleep rooms and breakout spaces support quieter parts of the current day. The daily routine includes a rest period alongside meals, play and outdoor activity, giving downtime a clear place in the schedule. For a younger child, the practical question is how that routine fits with their own sleep cues and familiar comforts.

School transition work includes preparation for Stoneham Park Academy, Nightingale Primary School and Mansbridge Primary School. In July 2023, local teachers visited to meet children and staff, while the special educational needs coordinator shared information with other early-years settings. That work concerned continuity of care and learning, helping the receiving adults understand a child rather than implying an admissions advantage.

Sessions and Attendance

The address is 29 Whieldon Way, Eastleigh, SO50 9SB, within the YMCA Community Centre. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. The nursery operates across the year, with closures for bank holidays and Christmas.

Full day care runs from 8am to 6pm. A Morning session runs from 8am to 12.45pm, while an Afternoon session runs from 1pm to 6pm. Breakfast Club covers 7.30am to 8am for families needing an earlier start. These are separate booking patterns: the opening window does not mean every child attends for the whole day.

Freely chosen play, planned activities and group moments alternate with meals, rest and care routines.

Enquiries go directly to the Eastleigh team by telephone on 02382 351520 or email at eastleigh@ymca-fg.org. The on-site café is another practical feature of the community-centre setting. School preparation includes the named local schools above, but it carries no claim of a guaranteed place or admissions priority.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15-hour and 30-hour options for eligible families. The Working Family Childcare Offer starts from the term after an eligible child reaches nine months, with term-time delivery across 38 weeks or a stretched arrangement across 51 weeks. Universal funding starts from the term after a child's third birthday; benefits-related two-year funding starts from the term after the second birthday.

Private hours beyond funded entitlement are charged separately. Meals and consumables are included in the paid session fees, with the food included depending on the session: full days include all meals, mornings include snacks and hot lunch, and afternoons include tea. During funded sessions, meals are charged separately and a voluntary consumables charge applies; children eligible for EYPP are exempt from that consumables charge.

For fully funded sessions, hot lunch and afternoon tea are offered as separately charged choices for two-, three- and four-year-olds; children under two cannot bring lunchboxes. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation. The distinction between paid-session inclusions and funded-session extras matters when comparing the total cost of the same attendance pattern.

• Settling for babies. Babies receive an additional settling session, and the pace can be adjusted. During a tour, discuss how the sleep rooms, familiar comforts and gradual separation would work for your child.
• Funded meals and consumables. Paid sessions include these items, while funded sessions carry separate meal charges and a voluntary consumables charge, with an EYPP exemption. Compare a written quotation for your intended sessions, including the under-two lunchbox restriction.
• Additional support. The team includes a SENCO role and uses the Inclusive Classroom Profile to review inclusion. Ask how your child's communication, sensory or developmental needs would shape activities and the use of breakout spaces.

YMCA Nursery Eastleigh suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, with Breakfast Club providing an earlier start. Its strongest practical combination is space for outdoor exploration, separate places for sleep and quieter activity, and learning that connects books, signs and sensory experiences.

The Outstanding judgement dates to July 2023. Today's decision is helped by the concrete offer: age-specific rooms, an adjustable settling process and several attendance patterns. Families using funded hours should weigh the meal and consumables arrangements alongside those strengths, especially for a child under two.