Holly Lodge Nursery is a small, friendly centre at the heart of its community. It’s ideally located for families in Highgate, Dartmouth Park and the Holly Lodge estate itself. Open during term times, it offers parents fabulous value for money and takes children aged six months up to five years old with opening hours between 8am – 6pm. It was rated ‘Good’ by Ofsted in March 2018. The Daisy Room, for babies from six months to two years old, is a delightful space with a relaxed, caring atmosphere. Staff understand the importance of individual attention at this age and keep to an individual child’s nap times for as long as they need them. The Sunflower Room is for two – five year olds and always buzzes with activity as the children become more independent. Both rooms have direct access to their own garden areas for regular outdoor play. All age groups also come together throughout the week for joint activities such as baking and meals – which are freshly cooked on the premises. The nursery has been managed by Muna Mohammed since September 2018. Before coming to Holly Lodge, she took just three months to turn around a nursery in Birmingham, taking it from an Ofsted rating of ‘Inadequate’ to ‘Good’. She is passionate about fostering independence and curiosity in children and loves finding fun ways of teaching them about sustainability. ‘Recycling is an important part of the nursery’s ethos,’ says Muna. ‘We have all the standard equipment here but I’m originally from Holland and we got told from a very young age; “before you throw that away, what can you do with it?” We take the time to explain sustainability to the children in a way they understand. ‘We’ve built a permanent mud kitchen in the garden with palettes and we use a giant cable spool as a table outside. Children see tables all the time but if you show them something that’s not usually a table, they’re keener to use it. It helps them see the world in a different way.’ For more information, please contact Manager@Hollylodgenursery@qcca.org.uk 020 8347 9500 or muna@qcca.org.uk