There was no single headline grade when Ofsted inspectors visited YMCA Eastleigh Nursery in August.
Instead, under Ofsted’s new approach, inspectors looked separately at six areas of the nursery’s work, from the quality of teaching and children’s achievement to inclusion, wellbeing and leadership.
The result? Expected Standard across all six areas, with safeguarding standards met.
And while “Expected” may sound modest compared with the old language of Good and Outstanding, under the new framework it has a very specific meaning. Ofsted describes it as a setting fulfilling the expected standard of education and care, including the relevant statutory, non-statutory and professional standards.
For the Eastleigh team, that recognition stretches right across the nursery.
Confidence, curiosity and a ‘can-do’ attitude
Some of the strongest parts of the report are found not in the grades, but in the small moments inspectors witnessed throughout the day.
Children were described as confident and inquisitive, settling quickly and choosing activities independently.
In the garden, children discovered toy animals frozen inside blocks of ice and began working out how to free them. Staff used their curiosity to introduce the idea of melting, turning an unexpected discovery into an opportunity to learn.
Elsewhere, children tackled obstacle courses, learnt to climb trees safely and developed everyday independence through tasks such as pouring their own drinks and serving their meals. Inspectors described children as having a “can-do” attitude, with children visibly delighted when they succeeded at something new.
Stories also play an important role in learning. Eastleigh’s “story of the fortnight” is carried into activities across the nursery, from developing fine motor skills by cutting pretend grass for The Three Billy Goats Gruff to persevering with bottle tops through an activity inspired by The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Making sure every child can take part
Inclusion was another important part of what inspectors saw.
Staff regularly assess children’s development to identify emerging needs and put appropriate support in place. Intervention groups help children develop language, listening and attention skills, while children who speak English as an additional language are supported through key words in their home languages.
Inspectors also recognised the team’s work with other professionals, including physiotherapists, helping to create a joined-up approach to children’s development.
It reflects something simple but important: knowing children well enough to understand what they need and helping them access the same opportunities to learn, play and develop.
Always something to build on
The new Ofsted framework is designed to show areas for development as well as strengths.
For Eastleigh, inspectors identified opportunities to make teaching and interactions more consistently effective across the team, strengthen staff knowledge of individual learning needs when key people are unavailable and continue developing partnerships with parents around children’s learning.
That gives the team a clear focus for what comes next.
But this inspection also captures a nursery full of children learning, exploring, building relationships and becoming increasingly independent, supported by colleagues who care deeply about helping them thrive.
Congratulations to Nikki and everyone at YMCA Eastleigh Nursery on achieving Expected Standard across all six areas. 💜
