Balgreen Primary School

Balgreen Primary School, a non-denominational, co-educational school, was built in 1934 and caters for pupils from Primary 1 – 7. The current roll is 370. Our building is of traditional design and forms a quadrangle. In the centre of the school there is a large garden area which we use for curriculum work.

Balgreen Primary School sits in the heart of the local community. Our catchment draws families from diverse demographic backgrounds providing a vibrant and unique ethos of which we are proud.

Our building is of traditional design and forms a rectangle, in the centre of which there is a large garden area. We have classrooms which are able to take a maximum of 30 pupils, and an assembly hall which also serves as our gymnasium and dining area. The school also has the daytime use of Tynecastle Club hut.

There are two playground areas, our early years playground for P1 and P2 pupils and our upper playground for P3 – P7 pupils. Our upper playground contains an astro-turf pitch used during the school day for games activities and after school hours until 5.00 p.m. for certain curricular sports. This facility is jointly owned by The City of Edinburgh Council and Tynecastle Club who use it at other times. Saughton Park can also serve as a playing field.

Balgreen Library adjoins the school, a facility the children are encouraged to use.

Our rich community environment of The Water of Leith and Saughton Park & Gardens support children’s learning across the curriculum and we have strong links with local Chaplains from Gorgie Parish Church, Saughtonhall Church and the Salvation Army.

We work closely with partners from health services, charities and private companies to support children and families and improve the school environment.

The school is fortunate to be one of ten schools across the city to benefit from Place2Be. The Place2Be is a ground-breaking initiative that helps children deal with the kind of difficulties they experience during their school years. These range from the everyday problems with friends, family or school, to more serious difficulties such as divorce, bullying, low self-esteem, loss or bereavement.

At Balgreen Primary School we are committed to providing a nurturing, stimulating and inclusive environment where children are encouraged to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to approach life and learning with confidence. Through reflective practice and self-improvement we strive to empower all to be active, responsible citizens.

Our vision is for all children and young people in Edinburgh to enjoy their childhood and fulfil their potential.

We believe that children and young people do best when:

• They are able to live safely and happily within their own families with the right kind of support as needed.
• They attend first class, inclusive schools and early years settings which meet their needs.

We will do all we can to strengthen support for families, schools and communities to meet their children's needs. Our mission is to place children, young people and families at the heart of our service and provide support when it is needed throughout childhood and the transition to adulthood.

We have a large Gym hall, which also serves as our dining area. We also use this space for our weekly assemblies. The school has a library and a music room. There are two playground areas, one for Primary 1 and Primary 2 and the other for Primary 3-Primary 7. The Primary 3-7 playground contains an Astroturf pitch that is used during the school day for games, activities and after school hours until 6.00 p.m. for certain extra-curricular activities.

We are lucky to have Saughton Park on our doorstep which can also serve as a playing field. Balgreen library adjoins the school, a facility the children are encouraged to use. Pupils across the school have recently undertaken some fundraising, supported by the parent council and have a trim trail installed. This is accessible to all users at the start and end of the school day and is used by classes as part of PE and meeting their Health and Wellbeing needs.