We find it useful at this stage to have fairly large groups as children begin to become more independent around this time establishing friendships and learning how to operate in a group in preparation for school.

Swallow's Room is our room for four to five year old children and again is registered for 30 but usually has around 24. In Swallow's we do the real preparation for school, encouraging children to become more confident and independent. Our staff/child ratio in these rooms is 1 adult to 8 children but we often have more staff so your child will be given quite a lot of individual attention.

The Pre-School Centre works to the National Curriculum for Pre-School Education for 3 to 5 year olds. The aim of the curriculum is to develop and broaden the range of children's learning experiences, to leave them confident, eager and enthusiatic learners who are looking forward to school.You can access the full curriculum from here.

Staff in the Pre-School rooms  have a weekly planning meeting to plan a wide range of activities for the children to cover all areas of their learning and development. The weekly plans are displayed for parents to see and contribute to. Parents are welcome in our classrooms at any time and we are happy for you to join in any activities.

The Pre-School Centre is in Partnership with Edinburgh City Council, Department of Children and Families. The Partnership enables children over the age of 3 to access the Pre-School Education Grant. The Grant pays for your child's entitlement to Pre-School education which is currently 12.5 hours per week during school term time. Parents who use an Independent Nursery rather than one attached to their local Primary School can use the grant to offset Nursery fees. The grant is currently £1250 per year and you child must attend 5 sessions per week to receive the full amount. Most parents who work find this the most suitable way to combine their childcare requirements with their child's pre-school education.

Of course, Nurseries in Partnership with the Council's Education Department must meet the same standards as council run establishments and we have been fortunate to have the support of our Quality Improvement Department who work with us providing support wherever required. Our staff have access to 'in service' training as well as the Council's excellent resources which we borrow on a regular basis. We have also, through the Partnership, over the years, established contacts with all the local Primary Schools.