When you have a little acorn
Just plant it in the ground
The shoots will soon reach upwards
The roots will soon dig down
Then its welcome to the forest 
Welcome to our Family
 See another little acorn become a mighty tree!

Dear Parent/Carer                                                                                    
Welcome to Kirktonholme @ Mearnswood Nursery in Newton Mearns, Glasgow. From the instant you enter the building you will be welcomed by happy, busy children and caring, responsive staff in our fresh, bright and very well resourced environments.  As Parents and Carers you have already been given the opportunity to nurture, encourage and teach your child, even Pre Birth.  We will now aim to build a good working partnership with yourselves, sharing your child’s achievements, developments and progression, using the recognized Curriculum Frameworks, A Pre Birth to Three and A Curriculum for Excellence.

Children’s Learning and Development
At Kirktonholme @ Mearnswood Nursery using our Curriculum Frameworks, we strive to provide exciting, engaging and relevant learning experiences for all children.  The needs and characteristics of children in their early years, particularly the under threes are complex and change dramatically, with the first two years being ones of rapid growth.  Therefore, every child, attending our Nursery, will be treated as an individual and we will aim to develop learning opportunities, catering for individual needs, using a responsive approach.  Children are given opportunities to build friendships, gain confidence, and develop a sense of independence.

Our full Staff Team, led by Manager, Linda McNair, have a wealth of experience and skills and are actively encouraged to attend Continual Professional Development Training, which ensures that our learning environment is always fresh and innovative.

Registration and Admission Information
As per our requirements and legislation we will keep a record of each child in attendance.  There will be detailed information on parents, families and children and perhaps other relevant agency support.  This information will only be shared with appropriate staff members and kept strictly private and confidential in secure locked storage.

“Staff have built positive relationships with parents. Parents speak highly of staff and are confident that their children are well cared for in nursery.”   
Extract from HM Inspectorate of Education Report 2010

Communication
It is important at Nursery for us to actively encourage good communication with our Parents and Carers, which ensures continuity of care, development and learning. It is our Policy that children undergo a comfortable induction, transition and integration into their new surroundings.  All children will be allocated a Key Worker, from our team, who will work closely with yourselves exchanging as much appropriate information as possible.  Your Key Worker will compile a Profile or Record of Achievement on your child, recognizing and celebrating key developments of their time at Kirktonholme @ Mearnswood Nursery.  Parents are kept informed through daily discussions, daily diary sheets, notice boards, newsletters and parent’s evenings.  Parents are actively encouraged to view their child’s profile at any time.  We aim to have a Parent Council to compliment our Partnership with Parents.  New members are welcome at all times and Fiona Sneddon, our Parent Co-ordinator will be happy to discuss this with you.

Outdoor area
There is an extensive woodland area, attached to the Nursery, which allows children to explore the wonders of nature and staff to deliver comprehensive curriculum activities, outdoors.  There are also well equipped garden areas, which give children opportunities to develop physical skills, enjoy a feeling of well being and take part in many horticultural activities. Children are encouraged to use the outdoor area regardless of weather conditions as we believe that in our natural environment we can aim to develop children into Successful Learners, Confident Individuals, Effective Contributors and Responsible Citizens.

“The best classroom and the richest cupboard is roofed only by the sky”.
Margaret McMillan, Children’s Theorist, 1860-1931

Meals
Our cook prepares tasty, home made, nutritious and well balanced meals, for children attending the Nursery.  A Fruit option will also be offered to children at every snack time.  Meal and Snack times are an enjoyable occasion where we encourage conversation and sampling new food.
Copies of our seasonal menus are available.

Staffing
Our staff team have gone through some changes recently, with excellent results.  As well as our Manager, Linda McNair, qualified to degree level in Childhood Practice, we have fully qualified and experienced staff planning and providing stimulating play activities for children.  Each room has a Senior Practitioner, leading the team and we provide a learning environment and mentoring for apprentices and students, studying towards their childcare qualifications.

See our full staff team on our news page

Menus

Week 1 Menu | Week 2 Menu