Nursery & School Guide Latest News
in Edinburgh & the Lothians’ 

George Watson's College Junior School is hosting a Playdate for families considering Preschool to P3 on: Saturday, 9 May 2026, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon. The morning offers discovery activities for children, with opportunities for parents to meet teachers and the leadership team, and to tour the Preschool and Lower Primary to learn what makes the school truly special. Personal tours are also available to see the school, hear from pupils, and meet our leadership team if you

St Mary’s Music School offers a relaxed Pre-Audition Afternoon for P3–P5 pupils to explore chorister life, blending outstanding musical training, strong academics, and a centuries-old choral tradition.

🌲 Forest Friday Open Day – Friday 17th April Clifton Hall School invites families with children in Nursery to Primary 2 to its Forest Friday Open Day. Set within the school's private woodland, the immersive open morning and afternoon will offer children the chance to explore, play and create in nature. Families will participate in a range of age-appropriate woodland-themed arts, crafts and games, designed to encourage curiosity, confidence and a love of outdoor learning. Act

Edinburgh Easter holiday clubs for under-5s are limited but high quality. Options include Steiner School Easter Camp, Cargilfield, and Willow Den (ages 3–6, with some 5–12 camps). Flexible days and times.

Leading independent Scottish school, Loretto , is holding a Senior School Open Day with a twist on Saturday 7 th March. The Edinburgh-based boarding and day school is offering families the opportunity to individualise their school visit, with custom tours tailored to the prospective pupil’s personal interests and ambitions. Attendees can share their areas of interest and pre-select their chosen subjects to design an open morning entirely catered to their needs, with teac

Author: Swim Easy We all know the drill when it's time for swimming lessons: the damp towels, the goggles that never quite fit, and the hopeful wait by the poolside. But have you ever stopped to wonder what actually makes a "good" lesson? I recently caught up with the team at SwimEasy , and what I discovered was a refreshing shift in how we should be looking at our children’s time in the water. It turns out that teaching a child to swim isn't just about the physical stroke; i

Hands-on Easter week for kids at The Clubhouse, Craigies Farm, South Queensferry: farm life, animal care, planting, and farming tech. Drop-off 8:30am–3pm. exploretheclubhouse.co.uk

Edinburgh Montessori Arts School extends Nursery and Primary 1 with Term Time Plus—a Montessori-aligned eight-week extension offering continuity, warmth, and gentle French immersion.

A community survey is exploring whether there's demand for Italian-language early years provision in the city Edinburgh has Gaelic-medium nurseries, French playgroups, and German Saturday schools. What it doesn't have is a bilingual English/Italian nursery — anywhere children can be immersed in both languages as part of their everyday routine, not just for an hour a week. We're exploring whether there's enough demand to make one viable, and we'd value five minutes of your ti

Are you looking for ways to keep your child entertained during the school holidays? Conveniently located just a 20-minute drive from Edinburgh city centre, Loretto hosts a range of activity camps over the Easter and Summer holidays, from Acrobatics to Volunteering and Adventure Sport. Participating in activity camps has many benefits, including discovering new interests and talents, reducing screen time, and making new friends. Read on to discover five benefits of sending

HMC announces Lisa Kerr as the next Chair of the HMC Board for the 2027/28 academic year, succeeding Dr Anne Cotton, bringing extensive governance and leadership experience from leading independent schools.

George Heriot’s School’s 2025-2030 Digital Capability strategy develops confident, responsible digital learners with AI awareness and equitable access for all pupils.

Edinburgh Montessori Arts School reveals how guiding intrinsic motivation in the early years through autonomy, competence and relatedness builds independent, resilient learners.

Three top active parties for little ones in Edinburgh: outdoor Water of Leith birthday (4–11 yrs), CeilidhKids dancing party, and Edinburgh Leisure bouncy castle party (3–8 yrs) at city venues.

Language learning is most effective when children feel safe, engaged, and unpressured. Get Talking Spanish brings expert-led, play-based sessions to Edinburgh nurseries, schools, and parent‑and‑child groups, focusing on understanding first, then speaking. By balancing careful vocabulary introduction with meaningful repetition in a relaxed, fun environment, children build confidence, enjoy learning, and lay lasting foundations in

Scottish child psychotherapist Paul Bell backs the UK consultation, urging targeted action to address social media’s risks to young people’s mental health.

Discover the benefits of pre-school playgroups, where children aged 2 to 5 engage in stimulating and educational play sessions. Operated by

Home education: why are so many parents choosing it over mainstream school? We explore the rise of home education in the UK, the lack of a national register, routes (full-time, flexi-schooling, motivations, and policy implications (including Edinburgh’s consent process).

Discover Edinburgh’s trusted outdoor nurseries for all-weather learning. Explore forest-kindergarten style care and family-friendly visits at Willow Den, Wester Coates, and more.

The Forest at Merchiston hosts an Open Day on 21 March 2026 (9:30–11:30), inviting families to discover outdoor learning as the woodland wakes—nursery to P5 welcome.