Carolside Nursery Class Information Sheet
The information given in this handout is a summary of the presentations from Mrs Finlayson, Mrs Breen and Mrs
Dougal at the Induction Evening held on Thursday 11th September 2014. The following areas were discussed;
 Nursery Staff and Remits
 Rotations between the main Nursery and the Cabin
 Daily Procedures and Routines
 Planning and Assessment
 Parental Involvement
 How you can help at home
The presentation ended with a slideshow of photographs taken during a 2 week period. The slideshow will be
shown each morning in playroom 2 for the next week for parents/carers who wish to view it.
Nursery Staff and Remits
Carolside Nursery Class has capacity for 80 children in the morning and 80 in the afternoon. Staff are responsible
for the care, welfare and learning experiences of 160 children. Staff ratios are 1:10.
Key staff are:
Head Teacher: Mrs Carol Frew has responsibility for the strategic and overall management of the school and
nursery.
Depute Head Teacher: Mrs Seonaidh Finlayson has responsibility for the pastoral care, development of the early
years curriculum and the day to day running of the nursery and Primary 1.
Class Teacher: Mrs Audrey Breen has responsibility for the overall planning and assessment of children’s
experiences in line with Curriculum for Excellence. She also monitors the social, emotional and academic progress
of all children, liaises with partnership agencies and assists in the transition process from nursery to P1.
Child Development Officers (CDOs):
 Mrs Judith Dougal (Senior CDO, Forest School Leader and Wraparound manager)
 Miss Laura Kerr (red group key worker)
 Mrs Jane Hillan (purple group key worker)
 Mrs Pam O’Hara (orange group key worker)
 Mrs Karen McGowan (green group key worker M, T, alt W)
 Mrs Nicky McCann (green group key worker alt W, Th, F)
 Mrs Sandra Buchanan (blue group key worker)
 Mrs Susie MacDonald (yellow group key worker M, T, alt W)
 Miss Nicole Paton (yellow group key worker alt W, Th, F).
CDOs are responsible for the practical day to day care of all children. Each CDO is a key worker for a specific group
of children identified by one of six colours. They are the first point of contact for children and parents each day.
CDOs oversee each child’s Care Plan and gather evidence of childrens’ progress through the early years curriculum.
This evidence is presented in a folder or nursery profile. They also assist in the assessment of core skills as directed
by the class teacher. Profiles are stored in the coloured trays at each group place. Parents and children can access
these daily. Profiles go home twice a year. Carolside nursery staff are piloting changes to the structure of the
profiles this session.
Where possible, parents and carers will be informed if their child’s key worker is absent from the nursery or on
training.
Other key members of staff:
 Mrs Kirsty Irvine (day cleaner and Wraparound staff)
 Mrs Jayne Lees (nursery office daily 8.45am-9.45am and 11.45am-12.45pm except on a Wednesday-Mrs
Janice Kerrigan )
 Mr Graham Campbell (Pupil Support Assistant-pm door duty)
The nursery enjoys a number of excellent partnerships with external agencies, the local church, library and shops.
Parent helpers, work experience and students all add to the educational experiences for the pupils in the nursery
throughout the year.
Rotations between the main Nursery building and the Cabin
The main Nursery building has capacity for 60 children per session. It is made up of 2 large linked playrooms and
an outdoor area. The children can move freely from playroom to playroom.
Two years ago, the capacity of the nursery was increased from 60:60 to 80:80. The janitor’s house beside the
main building was renovated and became a separate extension with capacity for a maximum of 20 children. This
new building was named the Cabin and since the opening, it has been developed as an excellent outdoor learning
environment. Staff feel that it is vitally important for all children to be able to access both nursery environments.
Therefore the following rotation system is in place;
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four groups of 20 children (mixed groups of pre-school and ante pre-school from each coloured group)
visit the Cabin one week in four.
children register, stay in the Cabin environment, and are collected from the Cabin during their week.
Mrs Dougal is based in the Cabin each day. The CDOs follow a rota and are based at the Cabin, one week
in six. During that week, the class teacher has responsibility for the key worker’s group and meets with
them in the Superstar Room (the small group in playroom 2) to ensure continuity of the daily routines.
The main benefits of this system are:
 children experience a full, uninterrupted 3 hours and 10 minutes in the outdoor learning environment.
 all children have equal access to nursery resources.
 learning and teaching is cohesive.
 planning and assessment procedures are consistent.
 The class teacher spends quality teaching time with every child over a six week period.
Mrs Dougal is a Forest School Leader and is responsible for Outdoor Learning in line with Curriculum for
Excellence. As part of the Induction evening, she led an Outdoor Learning workshop and is happy to discuss
routines, planning and assessment with parents/carers when their child is at the Cabin.
Daily Procedures and Routines
In both buildings there is a 15/20 minute drop off time and then a 15 minute group time. Although staff are
flexible and responsive, they follow a general group time programme. During this time they:
 reinforce good sitting, good looking and good listening through the use of visual cards
 involve the children in the registration process
 encourage children to discuss their feelings
 support children in completing the daily calendar
 highlight key activities within the nursery that day and learning opportunities
Once group time is finished, staff follow an activity area timetable which sees all members of staff rotate around
different areas of the main building and the Cabin. During this time, children are active in their own learning and
staff are skilled at responding accordingly.
Within the day there are also designated story and snack times. Children return to their group areas at the end of
the session for tooth brushing, reflection and collection.
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Circle Time (through the use of soft toys called Sally and Sammy, everyday situations and common
feelings are discussed in a meaningful way). Staff will note the topic of discussion on the foyer
noticeboards for parents/carers to view.
The Travelling Alien (as a context for literacy development and as a follow up to the childrens’love of
author Claire Freedman’s, Aliens Love Underpants series of books, a little toy alien appears at group time
one day, looking for adventures on earth!) Children will have the opportunity to take the alien home for
the week.
Birthday Bear (children will have the opportunity to take Birthday Bear home for the night to help them
celebrate!)
PE (after the October holiday, pre-school children will have the opportunity to visit Carolside Primary’s
gym hall on the Friday of that week)
ICT/library (after the Christmas holiday, pre-school children will have the opportunity to visit Carolside
Primary’s ICT suite and library on the Monday of that week)
Planning and Assessment
The teacher ensures that children are experiencing a variety of learning opportunities across all curricular areas.
The curriculum is planned using the experiences and outcomes from Curriculum for Excellence at Early Level. The
teacher plans on a six weekly basis and focuses on core skills. Plans and assessment procedures are highlighted on
the planning walls in the main nursery foyer and are available for all parents and visitors.
Staff support children to develop the core skills through topics and activities of their choice. The main resource
they use is called Talking and Thinking Time. Parental involvement is key in this process and your support with
this activity is greatly appreciated. Every term the children are consulted on topics of interest, the most popular
are chosen and are led by staff.
Ways in which you can help your child;
 assist them in researching their topic (eg, read a book together, visit a museum, look at photos/objects,
access the internet)
 assist them in presenting a simple piece of information (eg, print out a picture from the internet, allow
them to bring in an object/photograph or book, make notes about your child’s research and hand to a
staff member so that they can engage in a conversation about the research)
 visit the nursery and comment on the topics displayed on the Learning Walls
Parental Involvement
Staff are extremely grateful to parents and welcome their support and involvement. One way of getting involved
is through helping with, or making contributions to the Parent Fundraising Association (PFA). The PFA are a
group of parents who work tirelessly throughout the year to raise funds to purchase new resources in consultation
with the children. You can find all the up to date information on the PFA noticeboards in the foyer of the main
building.This year the chairperson is Mrs Pauline MacKinnon.
Staff are also grateful to parents/carers for their contributions to the weekly Toy Fund. This allows staff to
purchase the little extras such as ingredients for baking and the snacks and milk your child consumes.
This session, parents and carers will have the opportunity to visit the nursery twice a year for Come and Play
sessions with their child and coffee and chat sessions with Mrs Finlayson. Details will follow in the nursery
newsletters. Parent Consultations take place twice a year and parents and carers are invited to meet with the key
worker and Mrs Breen to discuss their child’s progress through the early years curriculum. An end of year report
called a Summative report is sent home at the end of the pre school year as part of the transition to school.
Practical advice on how parents/carers can help at home and at Nursery
Staff are grateful for all the support given by parents and carers. They would be grateful if you could also assist
with the following;
 clearly name all items of clothing (particularly, jackets, wellies and bags)
 provide a bag with a change of clothing (including wipes and pull ups for children who require it)
 dress children for outdoor play at the Cabin and for seasonal weather (please apply sunscreen before the
session begins)
 look for/ collect letters from the sign in area (letters not collected after 48 hours will be placed in your
child’s profile tray)
 look at the foyer noticeboard on a daily basis for important information
 reinforce peg number (to encourage your child to collect/return belongings independently)
 practice self help skills at home, particularly hand washing, dressing and tidying up (staff would be grateful
if children could wear easy fastening shoes and jackets)
 Ensure all contact details are kept up to date in your child’s Care Plan
 Inform staff of any changes to medical conditions or medication
 call the main school office (570-7100) before 9.30 to notify an absence
Thank you!
Once again, thank you for your support. Our aim is to work together in partnership with parents, carers, children
and other stakeholders to foster a positive learning environment where children can grow and learn.
Our policies and procedures are in place according to authority and Care Inspectorate guidelines. These ensure all
children and families are safe, healthy and have access to the highest quality learning experiences. We look forward
to working with you and your child over this session.