Some preparations for the new term are easier than others.

The end of the school holidays can cause mixed feelings for parents, but there’s always a lot to prepare. And for newly separated couples, a new school term throws up a lot of questions and decisions to be made.

It’s in everyone’s best interest to reach a mutual agreement and plan a new school routine for your kids, but it’s easier when you understand your options and your legal position. At Gibson Kerr, our friendly and experienced Family Law solicitors are here to guide you, so you can get back to thinking about packed lunches and homework.

Get in touch for a no-obligation chat to see how we can help you. Email fiona.rasmusen@gibsonkerr.co.uk or call 0131 202 7516.

www.gibsonkerr.co.uk

A Family Education with ESMS

ESMS are a unique family of independent schools for boys and girls in Edinburgh offering Nursery, Primary and Secondary education. Children are taught together from Nursery to Primary 7 after which they then enjoy the benefits of single-sex, but very closely twinned, senior education before joining together again for a co-educational Sixth Form.

Experience Extraordinary

We are passionate about giving our children the very best opportunities, and for us that starts on day one. From age three, we welcome children into the ESMS family, where they immediately begin to benefit from all the resources our three schools have to offer. Our purpose-built Early Years Centre provides a safe, homely environment in which our girls and boys take their first educational steps. With a staff ratio of one adult to six children, we provide the individual and personalised attention that is so vital to a child’s healthy development.

Within our Nursery rooms for four year olds, every child is nurtured in all aspects of their development by fully qualified teachers and experienced early years staff, in addition to regular sessions with specialist staff in Music, PE and ICT. Every room has direct access to our extensive grounds and the children experience everything our green spaces have to offer in weekly Forest Kindergarten expeditions held on site.

ESMS Nursery is in partnership with the City of Edinburgh Council, which gives parents the opportunity to benefit from 1140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare funding a year. There are some caveats to the funding, so please contact our Admissions team, who will help you confirm whether you are eligible.

Wraparound Childcare

Our e-Plus services offer wraparound care during term time and, together with our Holiday Club, provide a welcoming, safe and secure environment for children from Nursery to Primary 7.

Open Day – Saturday 23 September

Experience it all for yourself at our Open Day on Saturday, 23 September. You will have the chance to meet our students and their teachers, explore the school’s facilities, and get a feel for the values that set us apart. Book your tour now at esms.org.uk

George Heriot’s opened its doors in 1658 for the education of Edinburgh’s ‘faitherless bairns’, made possible through the generosity of jeweller to James VI, George Heriot. We are proud to welcome young people from across Scottish society, especially Foundationers, children of widows and widowers, who live in Edinburgh and its environs. These pupils are a key part of our story as Edinburgh’s oldest independent school. ‘Giving’ remains at the heart of the school today in our Foundation and motto: I distribute chearfullie.

Put simply, Heriot’s leads Scottish education, with a golden legacy of high quality academic attainment, kindness and care, with a foundation at its heart for pupils who are bereaved.

Educating young people from Nursery to S6, Heriot’s welcomes children from 4 to 18 in a co-educational setting. Conveniently a city centre school, we have beautiful grounds and open spaces. Our Junior and Senior School classrooms are purposefully located together on one campus, creating a strong community feeling. Heriot’s values are simple: work hard, be kind, be happy. It is these values which bind our pupils and staff together, to create a cohesive culture.

Through our extensive range of curricular and co-curricular subjects and activities, our emphasis is on developing each child’s potential and encouraging them to grow to be their best self. We have high expectations of our young people; we want them to thrive, enjoy their learning and care about one other. This was reflected when we were voted Scotland’s Independent School of the Decade by The Sunday Times.

Our Open Morning will be held on Saturday 30 September 2023. Our pupils proudly volunteer to give up their Saturday to show prospective pupils and parents their School. Join us to discover the warm community that is George Heriot’s School. Please refer to our website (www.georgeheriots.com) for the latest information and how to sign up.

Visitors are also welcome during term time, to allow you the opportunity to have a look around the school, get to know Heriot’s and our ethos and meet with key staff members to answer your queries. Contact the Admissions Office on 0131 221 6709 or admission@george-heriots.com to arrange a visit or to find out more about the admissions process.

Choosing a school for your child is a very important decision. Our most important publicity comes from our current and former pupils and parents so do please feel free to speak to them! We look forward to meeting you and helping you discover what is behind the stones.

As Edinburgh’s only 3-18 girls’ school, St George’s is a place of possibilities. The courage of our founding mothers, who pioneered women’s education in Victorian Scotland, still echoes defiantly through our corridors. That’s why amplifying the voice of every girl remains part of our DNA today. Everyone here is respected, appreciated and treated with genuine compassion – thanks to exceptional pastoral care which nurtures close-knit pupil-teacher relationships.

We consider ourselves big on ambition for our pupils, yet we still know that small details matter. Excellent relationships, interest in every individual and a strong community mean each and every girl can find their passion and talents.

Situated in central Edinburgh on a spacious parkland campus, St George's has a wide-ranging curriculum: a unique mix of GCSEs at 16 followed by Highers and Advanced Highers in S5 and S6. We tailor curriculums for individual needs, offering choice and flexibility across academic and cocurricular options; expertly guided by familiar teachers.

Our careful attention to each developmental stage from 3-18, means girls experience an abundance of opportunity, strong female role-models and leadership expertise all through the school, utterly free from stereotypes. We are specialists in teaching girls, leading to academic success in all subjects, including STEM and with an impressive 90% sports participation rate all the way to Upper Sixth.

Over 90% of our girls achieve their first-choice university: leaving us as grounded, empathetic change-makers, ready to take on the world…

Today, new Head Carol Chandler-Thompson, who took the helm last autumn, is determined to ensure St George’s remains centre-stage within Scotland’s elite educational sector.

Find out more at our forthcoming October Open Days. Book online www.stge.org.uk or please get in touch with our Admissions

Department T: 0131 311 8008, E: admissions@stge.org.uk

Our changing world is full of challenges and opportunities for young people. Finding a school that can provide an all-round education to fully prepare them for what lies ahead is vital. Loretto is that school.

Founded in 1827, Loretto is Scotland’s first boarding school. Today an independent boarding, flexi and day school, it welcomes girls and boys from 3 to 18 years.

Set in a safe, leafy 85-acre campus just six miles from Edinburgh, Loretto enjoys all the advantages of this rural setting while being globally connected.

Welcoming just over 500 pupils, the first thing you notice when you enter Loretto's campus is the warmth and energy of both pupils and staff. Relationships are marked by kindness, care and respect; a truly special environment for providing the confidence and know-how to thrive in life beyond Loretto.

Loretto, with its superb location on Scotland's Golf Coast, also has a strong tradition of top-level golf. The school's surrounding area of East Lothian offers a choice of magnificent links courses, and in 2002 this tradition blossomed into The Golf Academy. The Academy is now regarded as one of Europe's leading golf academies where pupils can develop their sporting talent in tandem with an exceptional education.

From day one, Loretto’s founder was dedicated to blending academic excellence with a wealth of experiences beyond the classroom. The enormous range of co-curricular activities offered ensures that each pupil can grow and develop wherever their interests and talents may lie.

Ultimately, to really understand the warm and welcoming atmosphere that makes Loretto different, you have to experience the School in person. So please come along for a visit—you will soon see why our pupils are so proud to be called Lorettonians.

Having successfully provided outstanding Montessori early years education for over 30 years, The Montessori Nursery School in leafy Murrayfield has expanded to offer Montessori education to children aged 6-12 at The Montessori School, Edinburgh. For many years, happy parents of the nursery had requested Principal Patricia Thornton also offer this unique learning environment for older children. Now this dream has come true!

At The Montessori School, Edinburgh we follow the Montessori curriculum which also meets the standards of the Scottish Curriculum for Excellence. We take a holistic approach to learning which aims to support the development of the whole child and recognises the importance of all aspects of development; physical, social, emotional and cognitive. We aim for pupils to develop a love of learning and to be selfmotivated in their journey.

Our teachers plan individually for each child based on their ability and interests and deliver presentations, in small groups, providing the opportunity for children to work collaboratively. Abstract concepts are taught using beautiful tangible Montessori materials which support depth of understanding. Pupils are not assigned homework and are assessed through teacher observation rather than formal testing. In our peaceful classroom, behaviour is managed respectfully using positive language and without rewards or punishments.

Choosing a Montessori environment for your child has many benefits. At our school we foster independence, empathy and a joy for lifelong learning while supporting the child to learn at a pace that suits them. This emphasis on self-directed learning in a multi-age setting not only encourages individual intellectual and emotional growth but also prepares the child to head out into the world with courtesy, respect, positive decision-making skills and confidence... skills that will never leave them.

To arrange a visit please email: info@themontessorinurseryschool.com

Clifton Hall School

Nursery provides early learning and childcare for up to 40 children from 3-5 years old.

The Nursery operates 5 full days, opening at 8.00am and ending at 3.00pm (snack and lunch is included within the fee).

Nursery children can stay for an extended day attending the school’s After School Club from 34.15pm or 3-5.30pm.

All Nursery and After School club staff are fully qualified, registered and experienced early years practitioners led by the school’s Early Years Coordinator, a qualified and specialist early years teacher. In addition specialist teachers support the Nursery staff to offer Music and PE to all children with Language and Culture and swimming for pre-school children. Holiday Club options are available. The Nursery aims for all children to feel secure, cared for and to be enthusiastic learners -through the provision of indoor and outdoor environments which stimulate curiosity, imagination and creativity from the wide choice of high quality resources freely available. The Nursery frequently utilises the extensive school grounds including weekly Forest Fridays using the Forest Kindergarten approach.

Clifton Hall School

Newbridge Edinburgh EH28 8LQ

George Watson's College sits in the heart of Edinburgh city, providing a world-class education for children and young people from Preschool to Senior 6.

We encourage our pupils to develop a love of learning through an inspiring curriculum and an extensive and inclusive enrichment programme, which are underpinned by the four values we live by: aim high, be kind, join in and respect all.

Our school is a place where pupils have the freedom to thrive, explore, perform, and grow, giving them the opportunity to discover their own limitless potential. Preschool, junior and senior pupils all learn and play on the same 52 acre campus, where you can find our sports facilities, music school, art department, technology building, drama studios and more. We offer our pupils one of the widest extracurricular programmes you will find anywhere, plus the opportunity to travel internationally during their time with us, and a broad range of learning experiences outside the classroom. Life at Watson’s is about so much more than lessons.

Our school has an enviable reputation for the breadth of opportunities pupils have to get active, with around 25 different sports. Participation, excellence, professionalism and equality are the four cornerstones of our physical education and sport department here at Watson's. When it comes to music and drama, our pupils are given the opportunity to co-produce stunning shows, delivering memorable performances that live long beyond school days. Most importantly, the wellbeing of our pupils matters to us more than anything else. There are various ways we support pupils to proactively manage their mental health, while a range of peer-led programmes has created a culture in which we can all play our part. All this means that when the sun shines we celebrate the happy moments, and when it doesn't we're there to protect and support, just as our motto says: Ex corde caritas - love from the heart.

Our