Forest Footsteps Childcare
GoodTakes funded hoursBirth to 8+Long established
A day nursery in Eastleigh for children from birth to 8+, open 08:00 to 16:00, 5 days a week. They take the funded hours. They do not publish prices, so ask. Rated Good by Ofsted in June 2025. Open since 2017, with 30 places.
What it costs
Prices change without notice. Treat these as what to ask about, not a quote.
Funded hours
2 year old funding; Universal 15 hours funding for 3 and 4 year olds; 30 hours for 3 and 4 year olds.
Worth knowing. Some charges may apply; contributions for funded places include morning snack £0.80 per day, afternoon snack 0.20p per day, access to Tapestry 0.50p per day, consumables 0.20p-0.60p per day, extra-curricular activities and Forest School/Outdoor Learning £3-£6 per day, voluntary contribution £1-£3 per day.
What childcare usually costs in Hampshire
This is not this setting's price. It is the median hourly fee across all providers in Hampshire from the Department for Education's 2025 provider survey. No national data holds what an individual nursery charges, so ring and ask.
Places, hours and the day
Who they take, when they are open, and what a day there includes.
Where it is
SO53 1JGWhat the inspector found
One grade is one visit. A run of them tells you whether it has been good for years or has only just got there.
- 19 August 2026 — Concern: actions taken what Ofsted published
Ofsted inspector, 3 June 2025 · read the full report
What it is like to attend
Children are happy and content at this nurturing nursery. They receive warm welcomes on arrival from staff who check in with parents for any information they may need to know to support the day ahead. Children are eager to attend and quickly immerse themselves in a variety of activities and play experiences that staff carefully plan. This supports children to be excited and motivated to learn.
Overall, staff deliver a broad and well-balanced curriculum. They plan stimulating activities that stretch children's individual learning, incorporating their own fascinations and in-the-moment curiosities. For instance, children excitedly learn about the life cycle of a butterfly, which staff intertwine into other activities. This helps to extend and embed children's learning.
Leaders and staff recognise the importance of developing secure bonds with children. As such, they work hard to get to know each child's unique characteristics, understand their unspoken cues and support their emotional wellbeing. As a result, all children, including those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND), confidently seek out staff for support, reassurance and to share their own thoughts, ideas and needs. Staff are responsive and respectful of children. This helps children to feel valued, as they gain a positive sense of belonging.
What Ofsted told them to improve
To further improve the quality of the early years provision, the provider should:
- strengthen the curriculum so it consistently meets the needs of all children, particularly those that are quieter, to ensure their learning is equally as purposeful n provide opportunities in the curriculum to support children's understanding of how to keep themselves safe when accessing the internet.
- 3 June 2025Good Safeguarding: Yes
- 19 November 2019Good
Rated Good or Outstanding at 2 of the last 2 graded inspections.
Still missing for Forest Footsteps Childcare
- What it costs
- Youngest age taken
- Waiting list
No dataset holds any of this. Two parents telling us the same thing puts it on the page for whoever looks next.
What to ask them
Some of this is above, from the setting or from parents, and it can go out of date. The rest is in no dataset anywhere. Either way it is worth ten minutes on the phone.
- What does it cost, all in? What is on top: meals, nappies, late pick-up, and what happens if you are late.
- How do you apply my funded hours? Whether they stretch them over the year, and the minimum days you have to book.
- Is there a place for my child's age? Baby rooms fill first and waiting lists are common.
- Who would my child's key person be? And how long have the staff been there. No dataset holds this and it matters more than anything above.
- Can I visit at a busy time? Mid-morning on a weekday tells you far more than an empty room after hours.
Day nurseries within a couple of miles
This one is first. Tick it and one or two others to see them side by side.