INSPIRING CURIOSITY, INDEPENDENCE & A LIFE-LONG LOVE OF LEARNING
Blackhall Nursery
HOW TO APPLY
We operate a waiting list for nursery places for 3-5 year olds and we welcome applications as soon as your child turns 2 years old.
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Please click here to access the online application form or submit an enquiry form if you have any other questions.
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Before completing an application form, we strongly recommend that you read our Admissions & Welcome Policy.
ADDITIONAL SUPPORT
Blackhall Nursery welcomes children who may require additional support for learning and will work to meet individual needs with the assistance of parents/carers and when required, with specialists e.g. speech and language therapists, educational psychologists.
The following is a statement from the City of Edinburgh Council: "Additional Support Needs: An additional support need comes from anything which is a barrier to learning. The education authority has many legal duties towards children with additional support needs. Information about this is contained in a booklet called In On The Act: Information For The General Public which is published on the education authority website or contact the additional support for learning team on telephone number 0131 469 3444."
HOURS
Blackhall Nursery
offers children
1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare, delivered as 6 hours and 10 minutes per day, 08.25 - 14.35, Monday to Friday, during term-time. In addition, we may offer the option to pay for an additional hour at the end of the day (14.35 - 15.35).
TERM DATES
Our terms dates are broadly in-line with Blackhall Primary School.
APPLICATIONS POLICY
Applications can only be submitted on or after your child’s second birthday. Applications will be added to the waiting list on a first come, first served basis, with the exceptions outlined in the Admissions & Welcome Policy – see above.
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We are trying to meet a specific need for a pre-school catchment nursery feeding into Blackhall Primary School, so priority may be given to children who live in the Blackhall catchment, as defined by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Communities and Families Department, or to those with siblings at Blackhall Primary.
Children entering their pre-school year (4-year-olds) will be given priority over younger children (3-year-olds) when places are allocated.
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We depend on a grant from the Council, so require your place at Blackhall Nursery to be your sole funded place (i.e. you may not also have a funded place either at a local authority nursery or at a partner provider private nursery.) We do not accept fees in lieu of local authority funding.
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City of Edinburgh council also stipulates that families who are in the UK on a visa that states ‘no recourse to public funds’ or ‘no public funds’ will not be able to receive funding to attend partner provider nurseries, including Blackhall Nursery. This means that we are required to see the family visa status or other evidence of right to a funded place.
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Notes: - These are for your guidance and information only
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A place at Blackhall Nursery does not guarantee you a place at Blackhall Primary School. Those who live within the Blackhall School catchment apply directly to the school in the November prior to the year in which your child is due to start school. Those who live out with the catchment must make a separate application to the Council for a place. Nursery staff will advise you on the process at the appropriate time.
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Children with 5th birthdays after the school start date in August may currently choose to have a deferred entry place at school. This means you may wish to apply for an extra pre-school year at Blackhall Nursery. Staff will advise you on the process at the appropriate time.
ADMISSIONS TIMETABLE
An offer of a nursery place will be made as early as possible to the first batch of children on the waiting list. Once the responses have been received and/or more available places are confirmed, another batch of places will be offered and this process will continue until all available spaces have been filled.
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Parents are advised to apply to more than one nursery as Blackhall Nursery can only offer 30 places each year.
CHILD MINDING
If you are looking for wrap-around childcare, the Care Inspectorate website offers a list of registered child minders in your area and also provides access to inspection reports and quality grading.