Fountain Children Centre

Fountain Children Centre
Unique reference number (URN): EY272868
Address: 19 Bird in Bush Road, London, SE15 6RW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registered with Ofsted: 19/04/2004
Registers: EYR, CCR, VCR
Registered person: The Fountain Children Centre
Inspection report: 8 September 2026
Exceptional
Strong standard
Expected standard
Needs attention
Urgent improvement
Safeguarding standards met
The safeguarding standards are met. This means that leaders and/or those responsible for
governance and oversight fulfil their specific responsibilities and have established an open
culture in which safeguarding is everyone's responsibility and concerns are actively
identified, acted upon and managed. As a result, children are made safer and feel safe.
How we evaluate safeguarding
When we inspect settings for safeguarding, they can have the following outcomes:
Met: The setting has an open and positive culture of safeguarding.
Not met: The setting has not created an open and positive culture of safeguarding. Not all
legal requirements are met.

Expected standard
Achievement Expected standard
Babies demonstrate increasing confidence in social skills as they initiate a game of peek-a-
boo with staff. Older children demonstrate curiosity and focus. For instance, they explore
materials to make their own tea, using lemon slices, tea bags and herbs by sprinkling,
pouring and mixing. Children are confident communicators, sharing their ideas, asking
questions and seeking answers. They sing along to well-known nursery rhymes and songs
and join in with the actions. Children demonstrate good manners and take turns with
resources with their friends. Children independently access a range of books and invite staff
to share books with them.
Typically, children are suitably prepared for the next stage of their learning, including school.
They cut their own fruit at snack time, wash their hands and faces independently and follow
instructions. They carefully pour their own water from jugs, demonstrating precision and
concentration. Children who speak English as an additional language are supported in ways
that help them understand routines and develop confidence.
Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines Expected standard
Overall, leaders and staff work together to create a positive, inclusive and respectful setting
for everyone. Clear routines help children to feel safe and secure, and children's behaviour
is positive. They listen to staff, learn to share resources and play cooperatively. Children
show kindness and willingly help each other. For example, they volunteer to hold open the
door for their friends.
Staff set clear expectations and use strategies to help children understand boundaries and
appropriate behaviour. For example, they line up at the door when leaving the room.
Through daily routines, children take responsibility, such as tidying away toys and setting the
table for lunchtime. Through these meaningful tasks, children learn to develop
independence, patience and develop positive self-esteem. Children are given time to
manage self-care tasks, as staff support them skilfully. For example, staff demonstrate and
give verbal instructions to support children to put on their own shoes, giving them
opportunities to practise their skills without rushing.
Attendance and punctuality are promoted through discussions with parents and carers, and
attendance patterns are monitored to ensure the welfare of children. Leaders work with
families to ensure that children make the most of their funded entitlement.
Children's welfare and wellbeing Expected standard
Children arrive enthusiastically and babies feel comfortable being handed to staff, which
shows the secure relationships between children and adults. Staff are typically responsive to
children's individual needs. They communicate with parents and carers to ensure that
babies settling into the nursery have their individual needs met. Sleeping and feeding

routines are supervised appropriately and all staff demonstrate knowledge of how to ensure
these procedures are managed safely.
Staff remind children to follow rules to keep themselves safe, such as teaching babies to go
one-by-one on the slide to avoid bumping into each other. Staff teach children about
different emotions and support them to recognise how they are feeling, daily. For example,
they learn about the importance of taking deep breaths and resting to feel calm during yoga
sessions. Staff identify when emotional wellbeing can impact children's ability to engage.
They make adaptations and give extra support to children who feel anxious, unsettled or
need help with emotional regulation.
Staff ensure that mealtimes are opportunities for children to learn social skills and develop
healthy habits. Staff eat alongside children and encourage them to try different foods. They
discuss the positive impact of healthy foods on our bodies. Staff promote children's manners
by modelling 'please' and 'thank you'. All children have regular opportunities to be physically
active, both indoors and outdoors. Indoors, older children are encouraged to jump like stars
and stomp like dinosaurs around the room. Younger children are supported to kick balls
backwards and forwards and chase after the ball. These experiences support children to
develop a love for physical activity.
Curriculum and teaching Expected standard
Leaders have recently developed the curriculum to ensure it meets the needs of all children
within the nursery. Staff regularly observe children as they play, to get to know them well.
Generally, this helps staff to identify gaps in their learning and establish appropriate next
steps. Staff typically teach the curriculum well. However, at times, due to staff deployment,
not all staff know what individual children can do and how to support them towards their next
steps in learning. Strengthening the arrangements for sharing children's progress across the
staff team would support children to make even better progress.
Overall, the curriculum promotes all areas of development. Staff in the baby room focus on
babies' emotional development, helping them feel safe, secure and happy. Staff encourage
babies to access the indoor climbing frame, challenging their physical strength and
coordination. Staff listen to children and respond with genuine interest. Staff sing songs,
read stories and narrate children's play, to support their communication and language skills.
Staff teach mathematical concepts to older children during play. For instance, they search
for pebbles together in sand and water and use language such as 'one more' and 'one less'.
Staff support children to reflect on their similarities and to understand what makes them
unique through role play, stories and outings into the local community.
Inclusion Expected standard
Children benefit from a welcoming environment where they are valued and respected.
Leaders and staff recognise children as unique individuals and get to know them well.
Typically, they monitor children's progress to ensure that they identify any barriers to
learning early. Leaders have established links with the local authority special educational
needs and/or disabilities (SEND) teams and welcome their support and advice. This means
that leaders can appropriately access early intervention for children who may have SEND.
Leaders have an action plan to complete further training to deepen their knowledge about

SEND. This will further strengthen their understanding of how to support children who may
require additional support in the future.
Where children are eligible for additional funding, leaders carefully consider how it can be
best spent to directly meet individual children's needs. For example, they discuss how they
would use it to provide opportunities for children, that they would otherwise not experience.
Leaders also purchase resources to support individual children's progress. Staff generally
adjust teaching to meet the needs of individual children. For instance, they use Makaton or
visual aids to help children who need extra support with communication and language.
Leaders understand the importance of keeping families involved in their children's progress.
Parents and carers praise the setting's home-from-home environment, and they appreciate
the diversity of cultures that are celebrated within the nursery.
Leadership and governance Expected standard
Leaders and new management have implemented changes which have made significant
improvements since their last inspection. Recent training and support around the curriculum
and teaching has improved experiences for children and helped staff to focus their practice.
This is already having a positive impact on how staff identify what children need to learn and
how they can support this. Leaders have developed their supervision for staff, strengthening
arrangements to monitor and review the practice in the nursery, and staff are being
supported to complete qualifications. Leaders acknowledge that further work is needed in
some areas to strengthen staff's knowledge even more. For example, leaders recognise the
importance of staff completing special educational needs coordinator training to deepen
staff's understanding of supporting children with special educational needs and/or
disabilities, but have not yet taken steps to implement this. Leaders ensure that staff
complete mandatory training, including paediatric first aid and safeguarding courses. Staff
recognise the support they receive from leaders and feel appreciated and valued. Leaders
are mindful of workload and work with staff to effectively manage this and positively support
wellbeing.
Leaders engage with parents and carers positively in a way that supports children's
education and care. However, there is capacity to enhance parental partnerships further to
support all children and families, including those who are harder to reach. Parents value the
relationships that staff build with their children and appreciate the welcoming, inclusive
environment that 'feels like family'. They share that their children are always excited to
attend.
Children benefit from a range of meaningful experiences beyond the nursery, including
outdoor learning and community activities. These experiences broaden children's
understanding of the world and enrich the curriculum through first-hand learning
opportunities. Leaders and staff are passionate about providing safe and engaging learning
environments where all children can achieve and flourish.

Compulsory Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the compulsory part of the Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Compulsory Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Compulsory Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
Voluntary Childcare Register requirements
This setting has met the requirements of the voluntary part of Childcare Register.
How we check if a provider meets the requirements of the Voluntary Childcare
Register
When we check if settings meet the Voluntary Childcare Register requirements, they can
have the following outcomes:
Met
Not met
What it's like to be a child at this setting
Children arrive confidently and greet welcoming staff with enthusiasm, ready to start their
day at this inclusive setting. They demonstrate a sense of belonging and engage well with
one another, staff and visitors. Children thrive as they develop positive relationships with
familiar adults and babies benefit from warm interactions that help them to feel safe and
secure. Children behave well and are praised for their positive behaviours. For instance,
staff cheer babies on when they attempt to kick a ball, and older children are given a high-
five for their efforts. Children demonstrate independence and enjoy being involved in some

Inspector:
Frankie Holliday
About this setting
of the daily routines. They enjoy helping staff with daily tasks. For example, older children
help to clear their own plates after meals. This gives children a sense of pride and
achievement.
Overall, children enjoy their time at the setting and benefit from a range of experiences that
help them to prepare for their next stages in learning. Younger children confidently access
resources and enjoy experimenting with different musical instruments. As they grow,
children become increasingly curious and build on their own ideas. Staff get to know them
well so they can support them to develop their interests. Children's opinions and input are
important at this nursery, and children get to make choices and develop confidence and
positive self-esteem. Older children sustain their interest in water play, as they explore filling
and emptying different conch shells with sand and water and pouring the water from
different heights, for instance. Children with special educational needs and/or disabilities are
generally supported well. Staff make appropriate adaptations to help ensure that all children
can participate fully in activities and daily routines. All children make steady progress in
relation to their starting points and are ready for their next stage of learning, such as school.
Next steps
Leaders should strengthen the arrangements for monitoring children's individual progress
and next steps across the whole staff team more effectively.
Leaders should ensure that professional development is precisely matched to individual
practitioners' roles, experience and development needs, so that training strengthens staff
expertise and improves practice more consistently.
Leaders should further develop the ways they collaborate with parents and carers to
improve outcomes for children, including those parents who may be harder to reach.
About this inspection
The inspector spoke with leaders, staff, children, parents and carers during the inspection.
We carried out this inspection under sections 49 and 50 of the Childcare Act 2006 on the
quality and standards of provision that is registered on the Early Years Register. The
registered person must ensure that this provision complies with the statutory framework for
children's learning, development and care, known as the early years foundation stage.

Unique reference number (URN): EY272868
Address:
19 Bird in Bush Road
London
SE15 6RW
Type: Childcare on non-domestic premises
Registration date: 19/04/2004
Registered person: The Fountain Children Centre
Register(s): EYR, CCR, VCR
Operating hours: Monday,Tuesday,Wednesday,Thursday,Friday : 07:30 - 18:00
Local authority: Southwark
Facts and figures used on inspection
This data was available to the inspector at the time of the inspection.
This data is from 8 September 2026
Children numbers
Age range of children at the time of inspection
1 to 3
Total number of places
42
Our grades explained
Exceptional
Practice is exceptional: of the highest standard nationally. Other settings can learn from it.
Strong standard

The setting reaches a strong standard. Leaders are working above the standard expected of
them.
Expected standard
The setting is fulfilling the expected standard of education and/or care. This means they are
following the standard set out in statutory and non ‑ statutory legislation and the professional
standards expected of them.
Needs attention
The expected standards are not met but leaders are likely able to make the necessary
improvements.
Urgent improvement
The setting needs to make urgent improvements to provide the expected standard of
education and/or care.
The Office for Standards in Education, Children's Services and Skills (Ofsted) inspects
services providing education and skills for children and learners of all ages, and inspects
and regulates services that care for children and young people.
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