Craiglockhart Primary School

Craiglockhart Primary is a non-denominational school built in 1903 and serves the Shandon area of the city. We are part of the Tynecastle High School. We have a custom built nursery on site with places for 20 pupils in morning and 20 afternoon places.

There are currently 15 classes and a Nursery class. Along with our spacious classrooms we also have a library, ICT Suite, Gym Hall, Support for Learning base and other general purpose spaces used for Art, Music and play. we are lucky enought to have specialist teachers in PE, Music and Art who support the children throughout their week.

Craiglockhart Primary School was built in 1903. It has remained virtually unchanged on the outside and is a listed building.

The south door and stair (at the top of the playground) used to be the girls door and the main entrance used to be the boys door. The wall down the middle of the playground segregated the boys from the girls although the classes were mixed. Everyone marched into school to the sound of a piano based on the top corridor, playing patriotic songs.

All of the classrooms had tiered seating and open fires which the janitor would come to light in the winter. The students even helped the janitor stoke the coke fired boiler in the basement! The glass cabinet in the hall, which now contains our school trophies used to contain a jar of snakes, eggs and even a huge stuffed eagle!

Curriculum for Excellence give us the framework to build a learning community suited to our needs and we have been working really hard on a number of important areas:

• Active Learning – Children learn best by doing
• Assessment is for Learning – Children learn best by understanding and being involved in their learning journey
• Literacy & Numeracy – Children need to be confident in the ‘basics’
• Global Citizenship – Children need to understand their place in the world and their role in its future
• Outdoor Learning – Children can learn best in a variety of environments
• Information Technology – Children’s learning can be enhanced by the appropriate and effective use of IT
• Interdisciplinary Learning – Children learn best through interesting and real contexts
• Wider Achievement – Children enjoy learning during and outwith the school day

Through our Additional Support for Learning policy we work to ensure that all pupils achieve their potential. Through our Promoting Positive Behaviour programme and Equality, Diversity and Anti-bullying policy, all children work together to treat each other with respect, celebrate each other’s differences and keep everyone safe.

We continue to develop how we work in partnership with parents – both our wider body of parents, our Parent Council and our fabulous Parent Association who have worked so hard to organise community events and raise a tremendous amount of funds for the school.