Craigour Park Primary School

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Our Contact Details

Craigour Park Primary School

Moredun Park Road

Edinburgh

EH17 7HL

School: 0131 664 7594

Website: www.craigourpark.ik.org/

Session Times

Morning Afternoon 08.30 – 11.40 am 12.20 – 15.30 pm

School Staff

Headteacher – Mrs Cameron

Deputy Head Teachers – Mrs Patterson & Mrs McHarg

Early Years Officer - Miss Donoghue

Early Years Practitioners - Miss Chiffers

Mrs Lamb

Miss McLachlan (career Break)

Mrs Hall (temporary cover)

Mrs Martin

Mrs Whitelaw

School Administrator - Mrs Young

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About us

Craigour Park Nursery has been a valued part of the community

since opening in 2003. Our nursery provides active learning

opportunities for 3-5 year olds.

We aim to provide a safe, friendly and stimulating environment

where children feel secure and valued. A place where children

are encouraged to become independent and to use and develop

their skills and knowledge with confidence. We promote an

inclusive and holistic approach to early education and value the

importance of equity.

The Nursery Curriculum

At Craigour Park we take time to get to know all children as

individuals and use a child centred approach to teaching and

learning, building on children’s own interests and ideas.

Our daily observations and assessments of the children at work

help us to plan learning experiences which take account of

children’s individual needs and development.

At Craigour Park nursery, we follow A Curriculum for

Excellence which provides the guidelines for children’s

education in Scotland. It aims to give every child the

opportunity to become a successful learner, confident

individual, responsible citizen and effective contributor. It

states 8 areas of development for all learners aged 3-18 years

Literacy and English Language

Mathematics and Numeracy

Science

Social Studies

Technologies

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Health and Wellbeing

Expressive Arts

Religious and Moral Education

The 7 Principles outlined in A Curriculum for Excellence are:

Challenge and Enjoyment

Breadth

Progression

Depth

Personalisation and Choice

Coherence

Relevance

We ensure through regular planning and evaluation that we

offer all our children the opportunity to experience all 7

principles of the curriculum on a daily basis.

Literacy

Speech and Language play an important part in enabling

children to communicate and further develop their ideas.

Exploring books and stories opens up new horizons in all areas

of learning and children are encouraged to enjoy books through

quality story times each day as well as fully resourced library

corners.

In nursery children will experience an environment rich in

language. They will be encouraged to extend their skills in

listening and talking and develop early reading and writing skills

through a wide variety of play based activities.

All writing is recognised and celebrated from first scribbles to

more representational markings.

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Children will take part in daily singing of nursery rhymes and

action songs to have fun with and gain confidence in speech and

language.

Mathematics

The application of mathematics permeates every area of the

curriculum. The children will develop the areas of Information

Handling, Number, Money, Measurement, Shape and Movement.

Our nursery places great emphasis on active learning and

through meaningful play will have the opportunity to experience

a range of activities e.g. counting games, number rhymes,

sequencing time, days, seasons, recording the weather and

experimenting with sand and water. Problem solving and

learning the importance of shape, position and movement is a

daily occurrence whether it is completing a jigsaw, learning a

computer game, working with construction or dancing/moving in

the gym hall.

Science

In the nursery the children will encounter and learn many

aspects of the sciences as they observe, experiment,

investigate, explore and discover

Living things- people, animals, plants

Properties of Materials- floating/sinking, solids/liquids

Physical World- seasons, weather

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Social Studies

In Craigour Park nursery we celebrate the importance of the

heritage of our families, communities and countries. Through

social studies children will develop their knowledge and

understanding of the world by continuing to learn about other

people and their values past and present.

Technologies

From their earliest year’s children use their natural curiosity

and imagination to solve problems they encounter during play

situations. They quickly develop skills in using tools and

processes e.g. how to successfully build a tower or run a train

along a track. Most of their learning is ‘hands on’. In nursery

children develop their understanding of technology through art

and crafts, design, construction, baking, role-play and

computing. Children also have the opportunity to experience

and use smart boards, iPods, iPads, and cameras and to make

movies.

Health and Wellbeing

A healthy lifestyle supports physical, social and emotional

wellbeing and underpins successful learning. Craigour Park is

one of many Health Promoting Schools in Scotland. In our

nursery children are encouraged to further develop their social

skills through play, modelling others and listening to stories.

The children contribute to the discussion of the provision of

healthy snacks and are always encouraged to help buy and

prepare food.

In the gym hall and outside in the playground the children

experience a range of physical activities.

We also experience the natural environment on outdoor

journeys, learn inside and outside, explore, discuss and

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experience. We encourage children to explore the outdoor

areas in all weathers, we provide waterproof suits and welly

boots to ensure they are safe and dry while outside.

In the nursery setting children, parents and carers and staff

work in partnership with other professionals to help address

sensitive health and personal issues, promoting an atmosphere

of trust, respect and support.

Expressive Arts

The expressive arts are made up of art and design, drama,

dance and music. Young children often express themselves

through creative, inventive and imaginative play whilst having

fun and contributing to the enjoyment of others through their

uninhibited performances. In the nursery role-play highlights

an awareness and understanding of life experiences. The

children are learning to play co-operatively whilst

communicating with others in small/large groups. During this

play initiative, leadership and enterprise are developed.

Religious and Moral Education

Scotland is a nation which reflects a wide range of beliefs,

values and traditions. Religious and moral education enable

children in the nursery to explore and celebrate the world’s

major religious festivals. In our nursery the children are

encouraged to contribute to the writing of their own Golden

Rules and codes of behaviour which are acceptable to all.

Incentives such as praise, stickers and awards all contribute to

the positive ethos of the whole school community and

encourage the children to become successful learners,

confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective

contributors.

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How we meet the needs of the curriculum

by providing a secure, relaxed and caring environment

by respecting and valuing each child as an individual

by working in partnership with parents/carers to achieve

these goals

by child centred planning and providing resources

appropriate to the needs and development of the children

Money

Snack money is £2.00 per week and we collect it once a term

(£20.00 per term). This money not only goes towards snack for

the week but also helps the nursery to buy resources such as

bulbs for planting activities, small toys and baking ingredients.

Welcome – A Day at Craigour Park Nursery

A typical day in the nursery begins with the children being

welcomed into the nursery. They each will have a named coat

peg and shoe box. Please encourage your child to change their

own shoes (in year 2) and hang up their own coat as this

promotes independence skills.

It is important that you sign your child in and out of

the nursery.

If your child is going to be absent from nursery,

please call the school on 0131 664 7594.

If another adult is picking your child up, please let us

know in advance so that we can release your child to

that person.

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Free Play

During free play the children can choose from a number of

contexts, for example;

role play

music

games

jigsaws

We also provide messy play such as;

sand and water trays

gluing

painting

baking

For this reason, we ask you to put your child in old

clothes for nursery. We do provide aprons however

this cannot always save what they are wearing.

We would ask that you collect your child’s artwork

each day as we have limited storage space.

We also ask that your child does not bring any of

their own toys from home to nursery. We cannot be

responsible for the loss or damage to toys which are

brought from home.

Snack The children have the opportunity to choose a healthy snack

each day and have a healthy drink in line with NHS Scotland’s

Setting the Table guidelines.

Please let us know of any allergies your child has

or any special dietary requirements.

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Stories and Rhymes

The children are read to daily which encourages their

communication and language skills. They also take part in

singing times where they are encouraged to sing a wide variety

of nursery rhymes and will be offered the chance to play group

games to help increase their confidence, concentration and

turn-taking skills.

Outdoor Play

The children have the opportunity to play outdoors each day

regardless of weather.

They will experience outdoor journeys and the natural

environment. Please ensure they have suitable outdoor clothing

e.g. a warm coat, sun hat etc depending on the weather.

Clothing

If you would like to leave a change of clothes for your child in

the nursery just bring the clothes in a bag labelled with their

name and leave it on their named peg in the cloakroom.

We also have a selection of children’s clothes to offer the

children if any accidents occur.

Please send your child in clothing that they are

able to play and run around in comfortably.

Please ensure your child’s own clothes are marked

with their name. This helps us to avoid clothing

related disputes!

Learning Journals During your child’s time at nursery they will be focussing on

working towards completing Learning Journals. These are a tool

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we use to engage the children in their own learning by involving

them in setting targets and discussing throughout the year

their achievements. The Learning Journals are used throughout

the school, from nursery to P7, and are useful when working

towards transition from nursery into P1. Our Learning Journals

are accessed online, and you will receive an email with individual

log in details which will allow you to access your own child’s

Learning Journal and comment on their progress at your

leisure.

Open Days

Each term there will be an open morning/afternoon where you

will be invited into nursery to share with your child all the

activities that they enjoy and speak to the nursery team.

We host several themed days in addition to our open days,

including – Burns Supper, Pirate Day, Family Fun Days and End

of term celebrations. Information including times and dates

will be issued in advance of each event.

Medication If your child requires medication, please see a

member of the nursery staff to inform us of the

situation and to fill in our medical form. We will not issue Calpol, this is a parental

responsibility.

Accidents If your child has an accident in the nursery an accident form

will be filled out and you will be shown this when picking up your

child (*A in register).You will be issued with a pink slip

informing you of the details of any accidents/incidents

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involving your child. Nursery will also keep a copy as part of our

records.

Please ensure your mobile and home phone

numbers are current so that we can contact you.

Toothbrushing

As part of a Scotland wide Child Smile programme, the

children are provided with toothbrushes allowing them to brush

their teeth in nursery. We aim to brush our teeth every day in

nursery.

Head Lice – Once a Week, Take a Peek!

Please be vigilant and check your child’s head each week. If

they have head lice, please treat them as quickly as possible to

stop infection of others. There are many effective treatments

you can buy in the chemist over the counter, and Bug-Busting

kits are available to purchase from nursery.

Parent Notice Board

Please ensure you read our notice board as it is a great source

of up to date information. We will also be displaying our

planning and important contact details on the Parents

Information Board. This is situated in the cloakroom.

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We hope your child enjoys their time at our Nursery and we

look forward to working in partnership with you and your

family. Welcome to Craigour Park Nursery School.

Important Nursery Safety

Arrival & Departure

Always sign your child in and out of the

nursery. If you are dropping off or picking

up another child, you must do the same.

You must let us know in advance if someone else other than yourself will be picking your

child up from nursery or we cannot let them

go for safety reasons.

Please ensure we have your current mobile

phone and home phone numbers so that we can

always contact you.

Security

Do not allow the children to open the nursery doors – adults only to press the green button

Please shut the nursery door and nursery

playground gate behind you. Do not leave them

propped open. No dogs are permitted on school

grounds.

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Safe Outdoor Play

Your child must wear appropriate footwear for running, jumping and climbing activities –

Not sandals or backless shoes. Please provide

named gym shoes (morning session only).

Sun Safety

Your child must have their shoulders covered on hot days and a hat is advisable to stop

your child from getting sun burn, or they

cannot go outside.

What To Do If You Are Unhappy

This section is taken from the City of Edinburgh School Handbook. To view the full version please visit –

www.edinburgh.gov.uk

Making a complaint If you have a complaint about your child’s school, you should contact the Guidance Teacher, Year Head or Principal Teacher in the first instance. If you remain dissatisfied, you must give the Head Teacher/Manager the opportunity to deal with your complaint. Only after the Head Teacher/Manager has had an opportunity to address your concerns and you remain dissatisfied, then you can contact the Children and Families Department’s Advice and Conciliation Service. This service provides a helpline during office hours and can advise you how to take further action. When necessary, you can then put your complaint in writing to the Advice and Conciliation Service Manager, The City of Edinburgh Council, Waverley Court, Level 1/2, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8BG. The Advice and Conciliation Service will investigate your complaint and try to help resolve it as quickly as possible. After you have gone through our complaints procedure, if you still feel that your complaint has not been properly dealt with, you can contact the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman, 4 Melville Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7NS or call 0800 377 7330.

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Or contact Care Inspectorate – 0845 600 9527

www.careinspectorate.com

Contact addresses and useful telephone numbers Children and Families Department The City of Edinburgh Council Waverley Court 4 East Market Street Edinburgh EH8 8BG Tel: 0131 200 2000 Phone numbers for individual schools can be found in the BT Phone Book. You may find the following phone numbers useful: Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA): Tel: 0131 469 6121 Free school meals and clothing vouchers: Tel: 0131 469 3471 Home Education (general enquiries): Tel: 0131 469 3038 Placing in schools, S1 (primary to secondary transfer): Tel: 0131 469 3032 School transport: Tel: 0131 657 0000/0008/0021 Appeals about a transport decision Tel: 0131 469 3052 Advice and Conciliation (Education) Helpline: Tel: 0131 469 3233 Parent and Pupil Support Manager – Additional Support for Learning: Tel: 0131 469 3444 Parental involvement: Tel: 0131 469 3131/ 3406 Psychological Services: Tel: 0131 469 2800