We are a local authority early years centre registered to provide flexible childcare for 48 children aged 3 to 5 years and 10 children aged 2 – 3 years at any one time. We offer an extended day/extended year service opening from 8am till 6pm, only closing for public holidays, in service days and the period of time between Christmas and new year.
We are an integral part of the wider school community and have strong links with our colleagues in Colquhoun Park Primary School with collaborative working across the early level. Claire Loney, Head Teacher leads our team sharing a clear and mutually agreed vision, values and aims.
Teaching staff and early years workers work in partnership with children and parents to promote learning, develop links with home and take forward initiatives within the centre. All staff have relevant childcare qualifications, are registered with the appropriate body and update their knowledge and skills by regularly accessing professional development opportunities. New members of staff are mentored by more experienced members of staff for a period of 6 months to ensure a consistent approach and shared understanding of priorities. These supports ensure we deliver high quality learning experiences which promote investigation, exploration and curiosity in a safe and stimulating environment both indoors and out.
We use established frameworks and guidance including Curriculum for Excellence, Pre Birth to Three, Realising the Ambition and Space to Grow to ensure children experience a coherent and holistic curriculum which will support them in developing lifelong skills, knowledge and attributes including resilience and critical thinking. Learning experiences are designed to provide appropriate levels of challenge and support and use children’s interests as a context.
Children are consulted and listened to, and their thoughts and ideas are actively acted upon.
We follow physical activity guidelines to ensure children have access to the recommended time spent in active and outdoor play and are currently developing an outside in approach where children can choose to remain outdoors when being dropped off by their parents each day; our outdoor area is an extension of our indoor playrooms and not seen as a separate environment.
We place a strong emphasis on health and wellbeing and this is demonstrated by our positive relationships and nurturing ethos, both evident throughout the centre. We work in partnership with parents and recognise that children come to us having already developed a wide range of skills and knowledge from home and their wider experiences. When they are happy and settled and have formed a trusting relationship with their keyworker we can begin to build on these further, supporting children to reach their full potential.
Children have opportunity to participate in a range of initiatives on offer: we are a Smile Too nursery promoting good oral hygiene. Children take part in daily toothbrushing (an opt out programme) and are offered a range of healthy snacks and drinks. We also deliver Paths, Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies to support emotional development and wellbeing. We deliver forest schools where children learn to assess and manage risk and explore literacy, numeracy and other curricular areas in an outdoor environment.
Although we don’t break during the holiday we do enter into a new academic year, where we say good bye and good luck to our little learners who have moved on to school and a big hello and welcome to the new children and families that have joined us!
