Hi,

we currently have our child at Northcote House, and it has been about 9 months. I heard that the baby room is great, but we only joined in when she was 18months. We were never 100% happy with it. The main issue is their admin which is shocking, and overall running of the business. The staff looking at the children are actually very good. Of course, we were not happy at all with the OFSTED report, but actually since, it has been better. They will be reviewed again by ofsted before the end of the year and they are trying to improve every aspect to have a good rating again.
The fee is not going up anymore now either, as so many parents complained they simply can't do that!
The thing is, our child loves it there, is so happy and has all lots of friends. Plus, the options of another nursery for full time working parents in the area is limited. So, we will keep our child there for the time being... And hoping for a change of running of the nursery and some of the staff as I think it would be so much better then.

Hope this helps!!

Our second daughter was at Northcote House for about 5 months at the end of 2015. I don't want to go into specific details, but she wasn't happy and we weren't happy.

In the end we went back to Lavender Hill Day Nursery - where our eldest went for 2 years but was no longer as convenient location-wise. Our second daughter loved it there from the word go.

Lots of people don't consider Lavender Hill Day Nursery because it's in the Asda car park and perhaps doesn't have such an appealing "facade". But beware of triumph of presentation over substance. The staff at Lavender Hill are kind, caring and loving, the facilities are excellent and the children are well fed (cook's been there for years) - plus they have a lovely outside space at the back. It's also reasonably priced and very convenient for Clapham Junction station.

Last time I checked it had retained its GOOD OFSTED rating with many outstanding elements. Definitely, worth going for a look.

Good luck!

The new Apples and Honey Nursery at Nightingale - has an open day today till 3pm and again on 4 August 10-1. It will be open 7.30-6.30pm so the same amount of hours per day. It is the second branch of an ofsted outstanding one in Wimbledon. Its senior management staff are excellent. A head teacher from a fantastic pre school in North London with 30+ years experience and a deputy (pinched from the Marmalade group). Years of experience between them. It is only 2-5 yrs old though.

www.applesandhoneynightingale.com

I have no knowledge of Northcote House but wanted to let you know about my positive experience with a nursery after an inadequate rating.

My 2 kids go to a nursery that did have a 'good' Ofsted rating but earlier this year were rated inadequate. As with Northcote House by the sounds of it, the parents were all quite surprised and obviously concerned! I kept my children in for a variety of reasons but did think the report was very harsh and I had no concerns around safeguarding (although those elements didn't appear as bad as this one). They also changed the manager which had a big impact. They are yet to have their follow up Ofsted but I can honestly say that in the 4 years I've been going there the nursery is the best it has ever been by quite some way and while my oldest is leaving for school in September I'm delighted my little one gets to stay in such a lovely nursery. I hope it shows on the next Ofsted visit.

So, as with the OP, I'm not making an recommendations as it's totally your decision, but just to say an inadequate rating can actually be a good thing in some situations. Have also found its can mean as parents you get to have more input!

Good luck with your decision, I know how stressful this can be.

Just to offer a counter-view, we had our son at Northcote House until a year ago and were very happy with it at the time. Clearly I can't comment on some worrying aspects of the Ofsted report (not checking visitors) and there were more staff changes than we would have liked... but there were a few staff there that we were very very happy with. I was on maternity leave some of the year and so spent quite a lot of time there and would turn up at odd hours, and my son always seemed very happy and engaged. We did get reports of his progress against the milestones - perhaps they weren't as thorough as they could have been but I have a sense it is similar at most nurseries. We have some friends who have their children there now and they were very surprised by the Ofsted report.
I'm not advocating for anyone to send their children there as there are clearly some concerns, but just wanted to provide an alternative view to the above comments.

This does not surprise me


I went for a staff trial for 2 days last year.
I didnt go back, i saw some awful behaviour, they had just got a new manager and she joined in with this discraceful behaviour.

I rang Ofsted and complained about the nursery.
I dont know if anything was done about it

Do you want to detail what your "dreadful" experience was please?

We had a dreadful experience with Northcote House last year - and reading the Ofsted report doesn't surprise me at all. It's very much a business rather than a caring environment, with corners being cut everywhere. In the end we removed him from the Nursery without another childcare option even though we had to continue paying for him for another 3 months.

A quick google search found the Ofsted report: [url]https://reports.ofsted.gov.uk/inspection-reports/find-inspection-report/provider/CARE/EY403074[/url]

And here's the summary, though there's a lot more detail if you follow the link:

[quote]Summary of key findings for parents
This provision is inadequate
 The management team does not ensure staff check visitors' identification to ensure they only allow entry to adults who are expected. This compromises children's safety.

 The management team does not ensure the premises are safe. Staff do not accurately assess hazards or minimise them to keep children safe. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register requirements.

 The management team does not provide parents with a written statement of
procedures for making a complaint. The team does not record the outcomes for all complaints, as required. This is also a breach of the Childcare Register requirements.

 The management team does not monitor children's progress effectively and fails to identify that some staff do not assess children's development accurately or plan well for their next steps in learning. Children do not make good progress in their learning.

 Staff do not work effectively with parents. They share children's achievements with them but do not share any gaps in development where children require additional support. They do not complete the required progress check for two-year-olds fully.

 The management team does not reflect adequately on the safety of the nursery, weaknesses in staff practice or monitor the progress children make in their learning.

It has the following strengths
 Staff encourage children of all ages to use mathematical language and develop their
number skills during play.[/quote]

Yes we're in the same boat. Some points raised by the inspection are ok-ish, a couple are super worrying in our opinion. Now either this will serve as a reminder and they'll be super cautious from now on, or it won't change anything and this should be a warning sign that this is not managed well and more serious issues may happen in the future.
It is a tough call, and the fact that there are not many nurseries that can accomodate parents who work full time ie with hours such as 8-7pm, it makes it difficult.
I was not waou-ed by the staff when I visited, more impressed by the Director herself. I think some staff need upgrading. Maybe with better staff those issues would not happen. Can the director find top-notch staff? Maybe if she pays, which, given how high the fees are, should not be an issue surely?

Yeah that reports not great and the prior reports are a mixed bag
I'd look elsewhere
Probably not at Mousehouse though...

Hello
My daughter is registered at Northcote House nursery to start in October however I learnt today that their ofsted rating has changed from good to inadequate. Particularly disappointing that those parents without children currently at the nursery only found out today due to a hitch with their admin. Is anybody also in the same boat? I'm now having to look at nurseries urgently as am worried by what i'm reading in the ofsted report. Thanks.