General Nursery Information 

At Skene Square Primary School our nursery provision is an integral part of the school.  The nursery has two classes each catering for 20 children.  Children can be offered a  nursery place in the term following their 3rd birthday.

Session times are as follow: 

Monday - Friday 

9am - 3pm

At Skene Square School Nursery on a Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday sessions take place within Skene Square Primary School and on a Wednesday the session takes place at Victoria Park in the morning and then in the nursery garden in the afternoon.  There is a plethora of research which supports outdoor play in all weathers and we are pleased to be able to offer this as part of our provision.

Your key person will generally be the person who welcomes you and your child into the nursery and supports them in settling into the session.  It will be the key person who observes your child regularly as they are playing and learning, they will pay attention to how your child learns, what they enjoy playing with and what they need more support with.  They will also keep a record of the observations they have made, in your child’s care plan that documents your child’s progress through the year.  They will discuss your child’s individual routines, the people who are special to them, their likes and dislikes and any other key information to ensure this is incorporated into the daily care of your child and added to their care plan.  The key person observes the child to identify how they learn through their play, their next aspect of development, what their interests are, whether there is any cause for concern or need for extra support.

The key person approach provides children with a dedicated staff member who fully understands the learning, development and care needs of their child, this gives you the confidence to leave your child at the nursery knowing they will be cared for in a way that is tailored to the information that you provide.  At Skene Square our aim is to create secure attachments with children meeting the needs of each individual child. 

Children thrive when their needs are met by special people that they know, trust and respect.  Children learn by observing and being with others. The key person is an important role model for the child who they can relate to and rely on.  The key person works alongside parents and carers to ensure that there is continuity of care for the child thus supporting the child’s emotional well-being.

The key person will use their observations to plan further learning opportunities that are based on your child’s individual interests and needs.  This is because they know that children learn best when the experiences they have are challenging and enjoyable, allowing them to play and explore, to concentrate and to develop their own ideas.

• Two changes of clothes, this includes: trousers, socks, pants, vest, t-shirt, jumper.   A named water bottle that we can keep and refill in nursery, no juice please.

• We continue to access our outdoor areas in all weathers, please provide appropriate waterproof clothing (trousers/jacket/all-in-one) and welly boots/snow boots. 

• During the winter months please provide your child with warm clothing including a jacket, hat, scarf and gloves.   In Summer provide a named bottle of suncream and a sunhat.

• We do not require children to have 'indoor' and 'outdoor' shoes, but a  change of shoes can be helpful if your child's shoes get wet or if they come to nursery in welly boots, as these can be uncomfortable to wear for long periods of time. 

• If your child is not toilet trained, please provide the staff with nappies, wipes and nappy bags in your child’s bag.

• If your child is toilet training, please provide at least 3 changes in your child’s bag, this should include socks, pants and trousers and a spare pair of shoes.

• In order to provide us with these things, please use an appropriately sized backpack that your child can carry themselves with their change of clothes to encourage them to develop skills in independence.

• Please also correctly label all spare clothing, shoes and bags to enable staff to easily identify your child's belongings. 

• We do not allow toys from home to be brought into the nursery - unless your child has a comfort item, then this will be previously discussed with staff. 

• Please make sure there are no snacks or juice in your child's bag due to Allergies within the setting.

Your child will be provided with a healthy fruit snack, this includes a variety of fruit and vegetables as well as access to milk and water throughout the session.  Children are given the opportunity to create a snack menu for the following week with their nursery staff, this ensures children are getting a variety of different healthy fruits.  We use a large snack table, sitting around 6-8 children, giving children the experience of being social at snack time and interacting with their peers.  The nursery team adhere to 'Setting the Table' guidelines, which is nutritional guidance and food standards for early years childcare providers in Scotland is a guidance publication for food provision in early years childcare provision.  You can search this on the internet if you would like more information. Usually children would be helping to prepare snack and then helping themselves from a self-service table. Your child will be provided a healthy lunch  Nursery Menu is found on the Aberdeen Council Website and this is served on a rolling basis where children are encouraged to be as independant as possible.