Nursery and Pre-School Provision in Scotland - Help/Information please

[Toomuchtablet]

I am trying to find out how many of the nurseries attached to primary schools in Scotland (for nursery and pre-school children) are run by full-time qualified primary school teachers or if most of them are now supervised part time by a teacher within the attached school and generally run by the Early Years officers.

Could anyone please help? Is it in fact the norm to have the state school nurseries in Scotland overseen by a qualified teacher one day a week or a fortnight and the nursery run by Early Years officers?

The reason for asking is that my children's school has a lovely nursery/pre-school with a wonderful team led by a full-time qualified primary school teacher. Sadly, it appears that due to new legislation (to do with the additional hours to be provided)/Council policy we are to lose her.

In particular, are any of you parents with children in West Lothian or Edinburgh Council primary school nurseries where there IS still a full-time primary school teacher in charge and likely to remain so?

Many many thanks if you have time to help me on this.

Most nurseries have moved to peripatetic teacher support in P&K.

Thank you. Do you think it works? Hope you don't mind me asking.

Well...

I think most research indicates that children achieve more with a highly trained teacher in charge. But, teachers are incredibly expensive. In an ideal world, I would want my child to attend a school nursery with a full time teacher in charge.

Having said that, I would happily send my child to the nursery attached to the school I work in. The ECPs who run it both have a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education as well as more than 20 years experience each. The peripatetic teacher visits one day a week.

Thank you stargirl!

My DD attends a preschool in Edinburgh City Council with a FT teacher as lead practictioner. I have heard noises from one of the other practitioners that the teacher's contact time with the children may have to be reduced from next session when the sessions switch from 2.5 to 3 hours; the staff are basically losing their planning time, it's outrageous.

I'm in midlothian. DS2 goes to a very big school nursery. The nursery is overseen by a teacher and there is also another teacher.

Thank you strawberrie - I think that might be something to do with the teacher only being allowed in their contracts/due to legislation? (I should check this) 25 hours contact time with the kids. And if kids are to be there for the next hours she can't cover all that time.

That seems to be one of the reasons being used as to why our lovely teacher won't be kept on.

Would you mind if I PM'd you and asked for the name of your school.
But...I quite understand if you would rather not. It is just that apparently some of the other schools in our area are in the same position as us and it would be helpful to argue our case to keep our teacher if we knew of schools, especially nearby, where the full time teacher WAS being kept on. But it is no problem if you would rather not.
Thanks!

Teachers are contracted for 22.5 hours per week. Children are entitled to 25 hours of teaching time from P1.

Thank you weebarra. We are under Falkirk Council. When you say overseen by a teacher - do you mean that the nursery is run by one full time or that a teacher from the school is effectively in charge full time. Is the other teacher full time too? Hope you don't mind me asking.
Many thanks.

Sorry weebarra - should have checked my post made sense! What I mean is - is the teacher overseeing the nursery working in it full time or just supervising? And is the other teacher full time within the nursery?
Thanks!

They are both full time. One oversees in that she does not have a group of her own and the other has a group.

Thanks again stargirl. I need to get the facts right in my head. I am curious as to whether there might be any wriggle room in our situation whereby our teacher can be kept on notwithstanding the legislation meaning she can't cover all the hours/budgetary constraints. We can but ask. And it would be useful for me to know if there are others in the same situation in Councils near us who can manage to accommodate keeping their full time teachers.
But going back to your ideal world - it might not be possible.
Many thanks for taking the time to post!

Thanks weebarra - that sounds a good combination. Many thanks for your help. And as will strawberrie, would you mind if I PM'd you to ask what school you are? I appreciate you might not want to say and that would be fine.
Many thanks.

Sorry - as with!