Moorfoot Primary School, Nursery Class and Garvel Deaf Centre

As Head Teacher of Moorfoot Primary School, Nursery Class and Garvel Sensory Service, I am delighted to welcome you to our school community.

Moorfoot is made up of three distinct parts, our Primary School, our Nursery Class and Garvel Sensory Service. Each has its own identity, children, staff and areas of expertise, while working together as one wider community.

Within Moorfoot Primary School, our vision is:

“Where every child belongs, dreams big, and feels nurtured to shine like a star!”

Belonging sits at the heart of everything we do. We want every child and family to feel known, valued, included and part of our Moorfoot community. We have high expectations for all of our children and are committed to providing learning experiences that help them grow in confidence, develop their talents and achieve their very best.

Our five school values guide the way we learn, work and treat one another:

Be Kind
Be Fair
Be Safe
Try Your Best
Look After Your School

Across our school, nursery and sensory service, our staff work together to create safe, nurturing and inclusive environments where children can learn, play, communicate, build relationships and develop the skills they need for life.

We want our children to become successful learners, confident individuals, responsible citizens and effective contributors. We encourage curiosity, independence, creativity and resilience, while ensuring that children receive the support and challenge they need to make progress.

We recognise that every child is different. Our aim is to understand each child as an individual, identify their strengths and needs, and work closely with families and partner services to get it right for every child in our care.

We also believe that education works best when schools and families work together. We value the contribution of our parents, carers and wider community and want families to feel welcomed, listened to and involved in the life of Moorfoot.

Our website and school handbook provide further information about learning, support, events, policies and everyday life across Moorfoot Primary School, Nursery Class and Garvel Sensory Service. If there is anything else you would like to know, please contact us. We are always happy to help.

We are very proud of our Moorfoot community and look forward to welcoming you and your child.

Elyse Buchanan

Head Teacher

Photo of Head Teacher

As Depute Head Teacher, I support the learning, wellbeing and inclusion of all children, with particular responsibility for Additional Support Needs (ASN).

I work closely with children, families and staff to ensure every child receives the right support to feel included, happy and able to make progress. This may involve targeted interventions, collaboration with class teachers and Pupil Support Assistants, or working with partner agencies such as ICOS, Educational Psychology or NHS services where appropriate.

A key part of my role is working with parents and carers. While class teachers are the first point of contact for day-to-day matters, you are welcome to email the school at any time if you have concerns about your child’s learning, wellbeing, relationships or support needs. I will be happy to get in touch. You do not need to wait for a formal meeting; often a quick conversation is enough, and I will always work with you to find the best way forward.

I also support transitions throughout your child’s journey with us, including starting school, moving between stages, joining from another school, and the transition to secondary school. I work with children, families and partner settings to make these changes as smooth and positive as possible. Where additional support is needed, we will plan this carefully together.

I also lead literacy across the school, working with staff to support high-quality learning and teaching in phonics and spelling, reading, talking and listening, and writing. As part of this, I help to identify and support children who may experience literacy differences, including those with dyslexia, and work with staff and families to ensure appropriate support is in place.

Alongside this, I work with staff to develop inclusive practice, monitor progress and wellbeing, and plan appropriate next steps for individual learners.

Every child is valued as an individual with their own strengths, needs and experiences.

Please do not hesitate to get in touch if you would like to discuss anything. Building strong relationships with our children and families is central to my role, and we want every child to feel happy, safe, supported and valued in our school.

Hello everyone!

I am Miss Jennifer Campbell, Principal Teacher of Garvel Sensory Service. I am a qualified Teacher of Deaf Children and Young People, and I manage the service that provides support to Deaf and Visually Impaired (VI) learners across the authority.

Our primary resource base is situated in Moorfoot, so you will often see me around! Garvel teachers, support staff and I work together to ensure that deaf learners have full access to the curriculum.

As part of the whole-school community, Garvel promotes and celebrates the use of British Sign Language and encourages deaf-friendly communication strategies.

I am incredibly proud of all the learners and staff at Moorfoot. Every day, I see wonderful examples of collaboration, kindness and respect that empower all learners to thrive within our inclusive environment.

Our Service Vision:

Supported by Garvel Deaf Centre, deaf learners thrive in learning and life. Our skilled staff have high expectations and as an English/ BSL bilingual service, we empower all deaf learners to reach their full potential. We work in close partnership with families and other agencies to inspire deaf learners’ exploration of their deaf identity, self-advocacy and confident participation in a more inclusive society.

Our Service Values:

Collaboration, empowerment and respect

On behalf of everyone at Moorfoot Nursery Class, I would like to offer a very warm welcome to our nursery community. If you have any questions, please speak to me or any member of our nursery team. We are always happy to help.

At Moorfoot Nursery Class, we have high expectations for every child. We want children to feel happy, safe, nurtured and confident, and to experience a positive start to their learning journey. We recognise that the early years are a vital stage in a child’s development and we want every child to have opportunities to explore, discover, communicate, create and learn through play.

Positive relationships are at the heart of our approach. We work hard to build strong, trusting relationships with children and families and believe that close partnerships between home and nursery help children to thrive. We value every child as an individual and work to understand their interests, strengths, needs and experiences.

Our practice is guided by Realising the Ambition: Being Me and Curriculum for Excellence. Through high-quality play experiences, carefully planned environments and responsive interactions, we support children to develop across the Experiences and Outcomes. Staff observe children closely and use what they see and hear to identify interests, learning, progress and appropriate next steps.

Our learning environments are designed to promote curiosity, creativity, independence, communication, problem-solving and appropriate risk taking. Children have access to high-quality continuous provision every day, alongside carefully planned enhancements and experiences which respond to their interests and extend their learning.

We aim to provide a high standard of early learning and childcare where children are supported, challenged and encouraged to become increasingly confident and independent learners. We want children to ask questions, make choices, solve problems, build friendships, develop new skills and experience the enjoyment that comes from learning through play.

Health and wellbeing sits at the centre of everything we do. We want children to feel that they belong, that their voices are heard and that they are cared for by adults who know them well. We celebrate children’s achievements, recognise their individuality and support them to develop the confidence and resilience they need as they grow.

Most importantly, we want Moorfoot Nursery to be a place where children love to come. We want their time with us to be filled with fun, friendship, discovery and experiences that create happy memories of their early years.