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Scotsnet

Welcome to Scotsnet - discuss all aspects of life in Scotland, including relocating, schools and local areas.

Merchiston Castle Forest School

7 replies

Woollyewe · 28/02/2024 18:13

Has anyone looked at the new forest school due to launch in Sept this year at Merchiston? It does nursery and the p1-p3 followed by p4-p7 in their existing junior school. The offering is co-ed. Their senior school will remain all boys.

Does anyone have any experience of forest schools? The website brochure says that numeracy and literacy will all underpin the primary school learning like in a regular school but that most of the learning will be outside and with outdoor materials rather than at a desk with a board. Merchiston has a good academic track record so id hope any new offerings were of the same standard.

Our dd attends an outdoor nursery, we think its fantastic. It would be great to continue this approach into primary learning but i worry about how many girls will be early adopters into a historically all boys school, whether its a fad and could be a poor educational move, any finally, i worry she wouldn't get into high school because it will be more competitive further up the school and also that it will generally be more disruptive to move schools and make new friends etc (before finding out about this option for merchi, we had been set on heriots and had planned to send from p1).

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theotherfossilsister · 01/03/2024 20:40

We've been looking into this, although I love the nursery ds currently attends. Which outdoor nursery is your dd at? We're at Meadows which has a forest school but isn't there all the time.

Woollyewe · 01/03/2024 21:48

@theotherfossilsister we love our nursery too. Ours is fully outdoor. I had thought that if we join merchiston forest we would skip the nursery and go into p1. It seems like they are no longer in the forest but they still spend a significant time outdoors. Full holiday cover isnt guaranteed from what i can read for the first while anyway while they get it set up so we are as well staying at our current nursery where everything is catered for. Were you interested in sending your son there anyway? Its a pain we would have to move dd for high school and im worried thats a competitive time.

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theotherfossilsister · 02/03/2024 08:33

We actually can't afford to privately educate right through, but I love the idea of the forest school going up to seven. I think we'll just leave him at Meadows though and then hopefully it's a natural segue into Sciennes. Are you at Arbor Green or Willow Den?

MackintoshGalore · 03/03/2024 07:34

I have looked into it. Would be very interested to know what their staff ratios are if they are saying that their whole curriculum can be offered outdoors.

Woollyewe · 03/03/2024 10:27

For nursery it says 1:4. For p1-p3 it doesnt actually say, just that max class size is 20. P1-3 isnt entirely outdoors. Il ask this at the open day though. The more i think about all the details the more im wavering.

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PurpleJewels · 21/04/2024 11:22

Just came across your thread, did you get the answers you needed from the Open Day, what did you think of the new school?

Woollyewe · 21/04/2024 15:41

@PurpleJewels so i got quite a lot of answers. Happy to answer any specific questions that you have if im able to. The biggest problem I have with it is that the building itself isnt finished so you cant go inside. How can i say if i like the school when i cant go in and see it operational? With it being quite a new educational offering, I worry its untested. That being said, its on the merchiston campus, they are not going to put their name to something terrible and the facilities the school already has eg. Sports etc are fantastic. Overall, im not sure. I really want to like it but the unknowns make me hesitant.

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