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supported children’s learning. While you
should never judge a book by its cover,
or a nursery by its aesthetics alone, it’s
impossible not to be impressed by Fount
Nursery’s interior. Its open-plan layout,
palette of natural colours and selection of
vintage furniture and resources manages
simultaneously to be both calming and
stimulating to children, and appealing
to mums and dads. “When Elena said
she wanted to open a nursery, I said,
‘I’ll deliver you something completely
unique,’” Rachel tells us. “Hackney
has an amazing diversity – we have
creatives, writers, artists, bankers, and in
their houses they have an eclectic mix
of antiques and modern art, and that’s
what we’ve replicated. We’ve also steered
away from bright colours as much as we
can – children don’t like them, so why
do nurseries use them?”
The result of Rachel’s efforts affords
Fount an instantly recognisable point of
difference to its competition, too, a point
that isn’t lost on its owners: “With the
interior, with our brand, we’re trying to
create our own niche within the nursery
sector,” Rachel sums up their thinking.
WAITING
FOR OFSTED
Opening a nursery is never a simple
undertaking, and the challenge is
amplified if you have never done it
before. Even having invested in ongoing
support from well-respected consultant
Laura Henry (laurahenryconsultancy.
com), Elena and Rachel have encountered
pitfalls, which they’ve hurdled with
varying degrees of success. The most
frustrating, and costly, of these appeared
just as Fount Nursery was ready to
open its doors, as Ofsted’s mandatory
registration visit failed to materialise.
“They could have come in at any
time – they have 25 weeks to do the
registration visit after you complete the
application,” Elena explains. “Everybody
was telling us ‘they’ll be with you really
nursery business
D
ON GETTING
PLANNING
PERMISSION...
“The arches had just been renovated
when we acquired them – prior to
that they’d been garages,” Rachel
explains. “But we were delayed by
a year, because they were B1 units
and planning didn’t want to lose the
office space. We literally went down
to Hackney Council, stood in the foyer
and said, ‘We’re not leaving until you
say yes – this area needs a nursery,’
and in the end we persuaded them.
“We finally got the building in
May 2015, and then the builders took
about three months to turn it around,
so it was ready by mid-August.”
