YMCA Nursery Fairthorne Manor

Woodland, streams and open fields give YMCA Nursery Fairthorne Manor its strongest practical attraction: outdoor exploration belongs to the everyday routine here. The Southampton setting takes children from four months to five years, with Squirrels, Rabbits, Badgers and Foxes marking the stages between baby care and preparation for school. Nature supplies much of the setting's character. The educational picture needs closer attention.

At its April 2026 inspection, Ofsted found safeguarding standards not met, judged children's welfare and wellbeing and leadership and governance as Urgent improvement, and rated achievement, behaviour and routines, curriculum and teaching, and inclusion as Needs attention. Some children lost interest in activities without staff noticing, unwanted behaviour was not consistently addressed, and preparation for the next learning stage varied.

The May 2026 regulatory outcome confirmed that the safeguarding and welfare actions had been met. That resolves those actions; it does not replace the April report card judgements or settle the separate educational concerns.

There are 150 places in total. Full days, morning sessions and afternoon sessions provide different attendance options, with breakfast club extending the start of the day.

Rooms and Ages

Squirrels takes babies aged four to 18 months, with sensory play and care shaped around their individual signals and routines.

Rabbits spans 18 months to two and a half years, combining language-rich play with routines and small steps towards doing things independently. Badgers, for children aged two and a half to three and a half, uses movement, music, stories and practical play to develop friendships and help children handle their feelings. Foxes starts at three and a half years, with small-group learning and everyday routines supporting independence and preparation for school.

Learning and Activities

The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework for children's learning and care, with play, conversation, creative exploration and relationships providing opportunities to develop skills. It is the common foundation for early years provision. Fairthorne adds the group-wide Little Steps, Giant Leaps approach, which brings emotional, social, physical and early learning skills into preparation for school.

A weekly story supplies a concrete thread through activities. Children return to the book each day, while related creative and messy play gives them other ways to explore its ideas. Makaton signs are linked to the same story and themes, connecting signs with the words and experiences children encounter. Repetition has a purpose here: a familiar idea can be revisited through listening, making and sensory play.

Seasonal messy play also connects activities with changes through the year.

The April 2026 teaching findings identified uneven support for developing children's skills, variable staff knowledge of learning priorities and a curriculum revision still awaiting implementation. This is the educational limitation to weigh against the activities on offer: an appealing activity needs adults who understand what a child should learn from it and how to take that learning further.

Outdoor and Community Life

The grounds bring woodland, rivers, streams and fields into children's everyday experience. Outdoor learning continues through the seasons, giving movement and exploration a regular place in the day. For a child who enjoys investigating natural surroundings, that is a substantial reason to consider Fairthorne.

Small-group activities and larger gatherings for stories and singing alternate with free play, meals and rest.

Relationships and Communication

Settling starts with a one-hour session attended by the child and parent together, followed by two independent sessions of 90 minutes each. The first meeting includes discussion of familiar routines, comfort items and the things that help the child feel secure. The pace can be slowed when a child needs longer.

Photos, updates and two-way messages complement the handover at collection, giving parents ways to share information as well as receive it.

Inclusion and Wellbeing

Fairthorne has a SENCO and deputy-manager role. Its group-wide Inclusive Classroom Profile provides a framework for reviewing inclusion, the environment and everyday support. The April 2026 inclusion findings identified some children with SEND missing woodland walks because of staffing arrangements, individual learning targets receiving inconsistent follow-through, and key persons not always knowing which languages children spoke at home. The May outcome recorded the SEND planning and support actions as met, but did not establish a new inclusion judgement or resolve the home-language concern.

A midday sleep period gives children time to rest between morning activities and afternoon play.

Sessions and Attendance

The nursery is at Fairthorne Manor, YMCA, Southampton, SO30 2GH, in Curdridge. Opening hours are 7.30am to 6pm, Monday to Friday. It operates across the year, closing for bank holidays and one week at Christmas.

Full Day Care runs from 8am to 6pm. The Morning Session is 8am to 1pm, while the Afternoon Session runs from 1pm to 6pm. Breakfast Club is a separate option from 7.30am to 8am, so the opening time and the start of a standard full day are different.

Those distinctions matter when matching care to work or family routines. Morning attendance includes lunch; afternoon attendance includes tea. A full day combines both, with a mid-morning snack. Enquiries can be made through the nursery contact form or by email at fmnursery@ymca-fg.org.

Funding and Paid Extras

Funded childcare includes 15- and 30-hour options for eligible families. The working-family offer can be used over 38 term-time weeks or stretched across 51 weeks; there is also universal funding from the term after a child's third birthday and a funded offer for eligible two-year-olds. Entitlement and the number of additional paid hours should be considered separately.

For private nursery sessions, the meals specified for that session and consumables are included in the fee. During fully funded sessions, hot lunch and afternoon tea are charged separately if required, and funded hours carry a voluntary consumables charge; children eligible for EYPP are exempt from that consumables charge. This means funded childcare and a bill for food or additional attendance can exist alongside one another.

A deposit is payable with the booking form, with a refund after the child leaves subject to the applicable terms. Current prices come in the nursery's written quotation.

Moving on to School

Preparation for school includes support for confidence, independence and early learning, with transition work naming Curdridge Primary School and Cornerstone Primary School. This is preparation for a change in setting, rather than an admissions advantage.

• Teaching consistency. Curriculum and teaching received Needs attention in April 2026. During a visit, ask how the revised learning sequence is used in your child's room and how staff decide what comes next.
• Room moves and settling. Squirrels, Rabbits, Badgers and Foxes have different age bands and daily emphases. Discuss how the gradual settling plan and later room changes would work for your child's routines.
• Access to outdoor learning. Woodland and open grounds are central to daily life, while the Inclusive Classroom Profile guides the group's inclusion work. Families needing additional support should discuss the practical adjustments that would let their child participate.
• The funded-session bill. Private-session inclusions differ from funded-session charges for meals and consumables. Request a written quotation for your chosen attendance pattern, including the voluntary consumables arrangement and any applicable exemption.

Fairthorne suits families seeking either full-day attendance or shorter morning and afternoon sessions, especially where outdoor exploration is a priority. The named rooms, gradual settling sequence and story-linked activities give parents a clear picture of the intended day.

The educational reservation is substantial: the April 2026 curriculum judgement requires attention to how consistently teaching builds children's skills. The grounds are a strong attraction, but the decision should also turn on the learning and support your child would receive in their own room.