We believe that building positive relationships with parents is especially significant in the early years. When these partnerships are strong, learning, progress, and fun happen naturally.

What is the Online Learning Journal?

• An app accessible on your phone for regular updates on your child’s progress.

How will I receive information from the nursery?

• Regular communication viaSchoolPost (email).

• Updates on nursery noticeboards.
• Daily conversations with staff.

Are there opportunities to meet with staff and discuss my child’s progress?

Yes, through:

• Welcome evenings in September to meet the team and learn about the year ahead.

• Regular parents’ meetings to discuss your child’s learning journey.
• Invitations to assemblies and concerts each term.

What happens at the informal welcome evening?

• In September, you will be invited to meet the nursery staff, receive key information about the year ahead, and ask any questions to help you feel confident about your child’s start in nursery.

Parents receive warm, regular feedback about their child’s day and learning.

At pick‑up time, teachers and practitioners share informal updates about activities, play, friendships, and how your child has been throughout the day.

For our 2‑year‑olds, this also includes information about routines such as settling, meals, nappy changes or toileting, and emotional wellbeing.

Each week, families receive online updates through Learning Journals, including photos, observations, and examples of progress across the curriculum. We also share extra snapshots of nursery life on our Instagram account.

Our teaching team tracks each child’s learning and development closely and communicates this with families throughout the year.

You’ll also have two dedicated parent–teacher meetings annually to discuss your child’s progress in more depth, and you are always welcome to speak to your child’s key person at any time.

• We place curiosity at the heart of everything we do. Through our play-based approach, children explore, learn, and grow in stimulating environments designed to spark their natural inquisitiveness and creativity.
• Children learn through child-led activities involving purposeful play. Problem solving, creativity and role-play make up much of the day. Physical, intellectual, social, language and emotional development skills are all learnted through play. Children’s literacy and numeracy are also developed and extended creatively, through contextualised, ‘real’ and imaginative experiences.
• Children do not make a distinction between play and work, and nursery staff do not either. Staff have a sound knowledge of how children develop and learn and have a clear understanding of possible next steps in the children’s learning and development.

Find out more about our nursery curriculum and activities 

• We have a low staff-to-pupil ratio to ensure that each child gets the attention they deserve. Our qualified primary school teachers are supported by experienced Early Years professionals, and our Head of Nursery is also the Head of Junior School, bringing over 10 years of teaching experience to the team. 
• We continually invest in staff training to ensure that our team stays up-to-date with the latest teaching techniques. We also have bi-lingual staff who can speak a range of languages, and we offer access to Junior School Learning Support for English as a Foreign Language lessons. 
• All of our nursery staff are registered with the SSSC or GTCS.

Located in a peaceful green area of Edinburgh, our nursery features impressive outdoor play spaces, including the Fantastical Forest, secret gardens, and eco-friendly areas. These unique facilities encourage sustainability, environmental awareness, and a love for the natural world.

Being an integral part of the whole of St George’s School gives nursery children access to extra facilities out-with the nursery’s dedicated wing. Throughout the day, children have plenty of space to move around indoors as well as outside. Our excellent environment both inside and outside the classrooms allows us to take advantage of outdoor learning, and our girls and boys are guaranteed to spend more of their time outside than children in most other nurseries.

Our facilities include:

• Specialist nursery accommodation housed within a wing of the Junior School

• Facilities split across six playrooms over two floors with immediate access to spacious outdoor purpose-built play areas and landscaped garden.

• Outstanding outdoor play areas with stimulating adventure playgroup equipment. In addition, we also make regular use of our extensive school outdoor areas such as our fantastical forest, wild woods, secret garden and fort, Junior School playground and school playing fields.

• Use of whole school facilities: music centre with auditorium, purpose-built gymnasium, specialist music and art rooms, library, general-purpose hall for dance, PE and ballet.

• Use of the St George’s Centre – our family whole school dining facilities where we encourage good table manners and healthy eating.

• Children benefit from a balanced schedule of planned and spontaneous activities, including specialist lessons in Ballet, Rugby Tots, Music, and PE. Delivered by experienced teachers, these lessons enhance their development and prepare them for a smooth transition into Junior School. 
• Weekly music lessons are with a primary music teacher where they learn about rhythm and percussion instruments. They also have PE teachers who teach them basic movement and skills like running, jumping, and balancing.

Find out more about our nursery curriculum, specialist teaching and activities

As an all-through school, we guarantee continuity of learning and care at every transition stage. Nursery children know staff and pupils in the Junior School creating a secure and familiar environment as they progress.

What opportunities do children have to adjust to Primary 1?

• Time spent with their new teachers exploring classrooms and resources.
• Weekly assemblies with Junior School pupils in the hall.
• Visits to classrooms and lessons with specialist teachers.
• Playtime in the wider St George’s campus.

How are nursery children involved in whole school events?
Nursery children actively participate in events such as:

• Eco-days
• Sport Relief
• Fundraising events
• Nativities and other celebrations

What support is provided for parents and children in the summer term?
Planned events take place to provide information for parents and support children as they transition into Primary 1 ensuring confidence for this important next stage of their education.

Our vibrant outdoor learning/ forest school-style curriculum engages children in imaginative play and hands-on exploration. From discovering mini-beast habitats to creating nature-inspired art, our Fantastical Forest and secret garden areas provide opportunities to connect with nature and build physical skills.

Find out more about our Outdoor Learning

Children’s wellbeing sits at the heart of nursery life.

Our youngest learners are supported through warm relationships with staff, predictable routines and a calm environment. Through stories, play and simple mindfulness activities children begin to understand their feelings and grow in confidence and independence in an age-appropriate way.