Gorseway Nursery School

Woodland bear hunts along the Hayling Billy track and visits to neighbouring alpacas give Gorseway Nursery School a recognisable Hayling Island character. Its ground-floor premises combine spaces for different stages of childhood with outdoor play and somewhere to sleep. Those practical attractions sit alongside a serious inspection position that parents should weigh carefully.

At its 12 May 2026 inspection, Ofsted judged achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion to need attention, with urgent improvement required in welfare and wellbeing and leadership and governance; safeguarding standards were met, but the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements were not met. These are separate findings, and the safeguarding outcome should not obscure the weaknesses elsewhere.

The current age range is two to five. Attendance can be arranged around flexible hours, with both term-time and year-round options.

Spaces and Learning

The building is split into a younger children's area and a larger area for three- and four-year-olds. Each has outdoor space, somewhere for messy or craft activities, and provision for imaginative play. That gives children several ways to engage: making something, acting out an idea or taking their play outside.

Gorseway follows the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), the framework for children's learning, development and care. Here, planned activities and freely chosen play address its seven areas of learning, so the day includes both adult guidance and opportunities for children to pursue their own interests. Messy play encourages curiosity, exploration and imagination.

In May 2026, older children made instruments together and used them while singing familiar songs. Conversations around duck eggs in an incubator brought counting and questions about hatching into an activity children were excited about. These examples show the appeal of practical experiences, although teaching for younger children did not consistently have a clear learning purpose at that visit.

Outdoor and Community Life

The Hayling Billy track provides a setting for woodland bear hunts and exploring the coastline. Feeding the neighbouring alpacas adds contact with animals, while beach walks and visits to local parks take learning beyond the nursery grounds. The alpaca visits happen often; these outings should not be read as a fixed weekly timetable.

Garden and playground use is part of the daily offer in different weather. Indoors, child-sized toilets and taps with regulated heat support personal-care independence. A sleep room with cots gives children who need a nap a space intended for rest.

Relationships and Communication

WhatsApp messages and photographs help parents follow their child's day, while termly meetings provide a more structured opportunity to discuss development. Stay and Play is also offered. Books can also be borrowed, extending an interest in stories into home life.

In May 2026, staff gathered information about children's abilities before they started and shared learning priorities with parents, together with ideas for activities at home. Children sought familiar adults for comfort, and staff responded warmly when babies woke. These were observations from that visit, rather than a description of every child's present experience.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

A designated safeguarding lead, a SENCo and a deputy SENCo form part of the staff structure. Staff have first-aid training and undertake safeguarding and food-hygiene training. These are arrangements and roles, rather than a substitute for the inspection findings.

At the May 2026 inspection, Ofsted found that support strategies for children with SEND were applied unevenly, staff deployment and some resources did not meet children's needs consistently, and behaviour guidance lacked consistency; ineffective risk management, insecure access, unsuitable arrangements for under-twos and unhealthy food and drink choices also affected care. The practical significance is substantial: plans need to work throughout the day, including when children change activities or need additional adult support.

In May 2026, picture timetables and communication boards were among the strategies intended to help children understand routines, but staff did not use them consistently. School transition work involved sensitive discussions with parents about individual needs. For families, this makes continuity between the child's plan, everyday practice and the next setting an important decision point.

Sessions and Attendance

Gorseway operates at Farringdon House, Manor Road, Hayling Island, PO11 0QL. Opening hours are 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday, across 47 weeks of the year. Children can start or finish on either the hour or the half-hour within that window, allowing attendance to fit different family routines.

Both full-time and term-time attendance are offered, alongside flexible hours. The contact route accepts questions and arrangements for a viewing. This is a nursery with a daytime closing point: the flexibility concerns the hours booked within its opening window.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare is offered for three-year-olds and eligible two-year-olds, with an entitlement described as 15 hours each week across 38 weeks, or 12 hours across 47 weeks. That gives families a choice between term-time delivery and a stretched arrangement. Additional unfunded hours are charged hourly; families should obtain current prices in a written quotation.

Snacks are included in the charge for unfunded hours, while children bring a packed lunch. Parents whose children need changing also supply nappies or pullups, wipes and nappy sacks in a named bag, and used nappies are returned for disposal at home.

The sessions and fees page sets out the attendance and funding structure. The distinction between the annual attendance options and the funded-hours allocation matters when planning a child's regular week.

• May 2026 inspection position. Welfare and leadership required urgent improvement, while teaching, inclusion and behaviour also needed attention. At a viewing, ask how everyday practice now addresses those specific findings.
• Support across the day. In May 2026, agreed SEND strategies were not applied consistently. Families needing additional support should discuss how their child's plan will be carried through activities, routines and staff changes.
• The daytime window. Flexible bookings sit within an 8am to 4pm opening day. Families needing later collection should weigh that closing time against their working arrangements.
• Stay and Play. Stay and Play is offered alongside termly parent meetings. Ask what these sessions involve and how families participate.

Gorseway suits families seeking flexible hourly attendance or term-time care, as well as those choosing full-time attendance within its daytime hours. Woodland outings, nearby animals, parent communication and spaces for play and rest give it concrete practical appeal.

The May 2026 inspection position deserves greater weight than those attractions. A decision should turn on confidence in the everyday delivery of care, teaching and individual support, rather than on the activities alone.