Playground

Alison Noble Headteacher opens Sciennes p.png

Message from Headteacher, Alison Noble, on opening our new playground in 2015:

“Thank you to everyone who came along on Saturday 31stOctober 2015 to mark the Official Opening Ceremony of our amazing new Playground. Many thanks to piper and drummer who provided us all with a warm welcome, lending to the sense of occasion. Liza, the eldest pupil, and David, the youngest, performed their honorary duties superbly by cutting our official ribbon. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to give my sincere thanks in public to the parents, children and members of the community who have devoted so much of their time, commitment and resources. Together we believed and together we achieved, raising a truly extraordinary sum to turn playground visions into reality for all our children. 

We are grateful to the parents who worked so hard on submitting funding applications, enabling us to secure match funding from SportScotland through the Commonwealth Legacy Fund. David Ewart, from SportScotland, presented us with a plaque to mark our achievement in creating such a magnificent active space together, as a singly united community. We all enjoyed delicious cake and thankfully the rain didn’t arrive until we were leaving!

Establishing a natural environment which provides endless opportunities for activity and creativity was key to the vision developed by parents and school and it has been an absolute joy to witness that vision come to fruition. The playground supervisors and Senior Leadership Team have noticed a remarkable improvement in the quality of play and behaviour at playtimes. Our accident statistics have dropped and while previously we used to have several children who regularly visited the Care Zone just for some TLC, there has not been one child since August.

The playground has been timetabled for curriculum activities and the Class Teachers are greatly enthused by the opportunities our new area has provided. Fiona Sellar, Class Teacher and Outdoor Learning Coordinator, has inspired all the staff with her presentation on how the play area will support, enhance and enrich learning.

We have been using the strip of land across the road for curriculum activities but recently gave access to the area at lunchtime for play. It is offering a superb space for running, jumping, climbing, building and great teamwork.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the members of the Parent Council Playground Group, who volunteered almost three years ago to support playground improvement. Following a parent survey, the playground was identified as an area causing concern and a priority for action. An exceptional group of people offered their time, skills, talents, knowledge and valuable support, encouragement and kindness to support improvement. At times, as Headteacher, I have felt overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and dedication. They spent a huge amount of their personal time, in addition to their busy family and work commitments, to help create and develop a shared vision for our playground. The vision has now become a reality and is a true reflection of powerful parental and community engagement to improve the learning outcomes and experiences for the current and future children at Sciennes and in the community. 

The generosity, kindness and thoughtfulness of so many companies, individuals, parents and families have been tremendously valued and appreciated. Particular thanks to Stephen Mozier from Grounds for Learning, Louise Caldwell City of Edinburgh’s Play Development Officer, Margaret Westwood Chair of International Play Association Scotland,  Savills and the Grange Association. My most sincere and heartfelt thanks to everyone who has given their support to this vitally important initiative. There is still more to do and the Playground Group will be meeting again soon to take forward our next steps. Parents and carers will be most welcome to come along and support. 

Thank you to Chris Hill for providing us with these photographs of the opening ceremony. We hope you enjoy the photographs that will be posted regularly showing our children having fun and learning. ”

Alison Noble, Headteacher 

Thank you very much from all at Sciennes to parent Colin Sim for all his efforts in this successful application
Dear Parent/CarerThe playground development has been the subject of a series of inspections and improvements over the last few months.
Sciennes officially launched our new Playground Reading Shed on World Book Day, Thursday 3rd March. Grateful thanks to our Librarian,
Click on the link or on the document preview below to view the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents
Official Playground Opening CeremonyYoungest pupil David and oldest pupil Liza with David Ewart, SportScotland and Alison Noble, HeadteacherThank you to
Families are warmly invited to Sciennes' Official Opening Ceremony of our new playground on Saturday 31st October 11am - 12.30pm.
On Friday 25th October at P4-7 Assembly we marked One World Week by sharing how our P3 pupils have successfully
Thank you to great friend to the school, Chris Hill, for these fantastic photographs of active play and learning in
Monday 29th June 2015 marked the start of the biggest development in the history of Sciennes Primary since it opened
Some of the P3s are salvaging the fruit bushes, strawberries and herbs from the playground before the men with diggers
Sciennes Parent Council AGM 2015 from SciennesPS On Thursday 18th June, Parent Council subgroups and school provided reports on the
Have you ever had the burning desire to help chop the plastic tops off of 640 ice pops? If so,
Sciennes science fest celebrates fundraising successArticle Posted on 16 June 2015 by Children & Families City of Edinburgh Bright Futures website  At
Fantastic news, confirmed by the Parent Council, that the Sciennes School Community has raised an ambitious, incredible target of £55
A massive thank you to all the wonderful parents who donated fabulous baking to our stall, the quantity and quality
This year's Sciennes Summer Science Fair has made over £7,000 - incredible! Thank you everyone for attending, contributing and supporting.The
At Sciennes, we recognise that we are incredibly fortunate to enjoy such strong partnerships with families and to have such
All the Fun of the Science Fair, including...  Camera Obscura and the World of Illusions in the Sensory Room The
We are SO excited about the Summer Fair! It features many of the usual fun and attractions but as an
Spectacular Summer Science Fair Today at Sciennes Primary School12.30pm-3.30pmDon't miss it!
The Summer Fair Plant Stall welcomes donations of the following:- flowering plants- bedding plants- perennials- vegetable seedlings- herbs- house plants-
Each pupil has been given an envelope containing 10 raffle tickets for the Sciennes Summer Fair Grand Raffle and tickets
We are SO excited about this year's Summer Fair! It features many of the usual fun and attractions but as
As we are on the run up to the Summer Science Fair on Sat June 6th, a beautiful teddy bear
https://player.vimeo.com/video/128795081Many thanks to the Parent Council for filming and editing this marvellous taster video to promote the Sciennes Summer Science
With Gift Aid, donations to our online BT Donate Swimathon fundraising page of £8,400.25 have now actually raised £10,000! And
https://player.vimeo.com/video/128716963Thank you to Mr Howie for capturing on camera the moment when an incredible £11,199 was revealed at the P4-7
Our Sports Captains did a superb job of announcing the winners and presenting the Swimathon medals at the P4-7 Assembly
Diana Dalton, Department for International AidWe are very grateful to Diana Dalton, parent of Joe in P7A, for accepting an
Thank you for the incredible community support for playground improvements. Sponsorship currently stands at an amazing £9,164!
Sciennes SwimathonWe are now nearly half way through our fantastic Swimathon! The children who have swum so far have done
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With Gift Aid, nearly £1000 has been donated already to help fund Playground Improvements!Thank you!
Great enterprise and initiative from P4 pupil Sophia, and a fabulous amount of reading! Thank you, Sophia!This weekend Sophia Walker
The Minister for Sport, Jamie Hepburn, today announced that Sciennes Primary has been successful in its bid for match funding
Thrilling news that today Sciennes has been awarded match funding for our Playground Improvements in full from SportScotland's Legacy Fund.
We have received a wonderful invitation from Celine Sinclair, P1 mum and Chief Executive of The Yard, to visit and
Sciennes Swimathon 2015 MyDonate Page is now live. All proceeds from pupil sponsorship of this annual Parent Council event will
Dear All,Hope you all had a good Easter Break.The amazing Caroline Brockbank has agreed to run a Ceilidhkids event for
This year, sponsorship of pupils in our annual Parent Council Swimathon Fundraiser will be directed towards our Playground Fundraising target.
Mrs Noble led the P1-3 and the P4-7 Easter Assemblies in the Hall on the last day of term Thursday
Thank you to all the parents and staff who came along to Tuesday’s Parent Council meeting – it was a
Great initiative from P6 pupils Luke, Toby, Ewan, Archie M, Matthew R, Tom and Santosh organising a Bake Sale on
PLAYGROUND CONSULTATION EVENINGThursday 19th March 6pm-7pmParents/Carers are invited to look at the advancements that have been made with playground development
PLAYGROUND CONSULTATION EVENINGThursday 19th March 6pm-7pmParents/Carers are invited to look at the advancements that have been made with playground development
Dear Parent/CarerWe hope you will enjoy this short video which demonstrates the philosophy, rationale and vision for our children at
Update from Kirsten Unger, Playground Group: What is 'Loose Parts Play'? More open-ended play in the school. Loose parts are
Wishing all our families health and happiness in 2015. Staff resume on Monday 5th January and we look forward to welcoming
To zoom in on the draft Playground Plans (on an iPad or computer), click in the top right hand corner
This Grounds for Learning video about the value of natural play provides insight into the rationale behind our playground plans.
To zoom in on the draft Playground Plans (on an iPad or computer), click in the top right hand corner
Sciennes Primary School is consulting with parents to gather feedback about the first draft of our playground plans. We would
Inspired by the spectacular success of the Christmas Fair, P7 pupil Erin organised her own fundraising event for the playground,
Thurs 4th Dec, 5-7pm: Planet X Bikes Shop event for Sciennes familiesA group of hardy Sciennes parents have committed to
A phenomenal - incredible! - record breaking sum of £10,342 was raised on Saturday 29th November at the Christmas Fair,
Sciennes was thronging all day on Saturday 29th November with a huge number of families supporting the Christmas Fair, which
The Hall has been decked, the classrooms are overflowing with generous donations of toys, books, DVDs, home baking, clothing, as
There are still some tickets left for the film screening of "Pixar Shorts" for Saturday 29th November at the Christmas
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Some more great fundraising news from the Parent Council! This year's P1 tea towels raised £167 and the fantastic Christmas
COME TO THE FAIR!TICKETSWisepay has now closed however you can still buy entry tickets at the door on Saturday. Charlotte
Mrs Noble shares the vision for the playgroundWhat a fantastic turnout for the inspirational and motivational Sciennes Playground Information Event
PLAYGROUND INFORMATION EVENINGThurs 20th November, 7-8pm in the school hallCome along to hear about the exciting plans for the playground.Parents,
Please hand items to:SCHOOL OFFICE -  Tombola, mince pies, lucky dip, second-hand clothes, silent auction and baking.Ms Anstruther's room –
PLAYGROUND INFORMATION EVENINGThurs 20th November, 7-8pm in the school hallCome along to hear about the exciting plans for the playground.Parents,
Please complete this form if you are available to help with the Christmas Fair - either helping set up on
Sciennes Winter Fair Saturday 28th November12-3pm This a fun-filled event which includes a magic show, films, craft activities, tombola, home baking,
Thank you to all the families who supported the Eco Team's recent Ragbag Appeal on Wednesday 5th November which raised
Comedy Quiz NightCamera Obscura and World of Illusions FundraiserOctober's Comedy Quiz raised £1000 towards the new playground. A further £1300
 Donation PageFriends of Sciennes School Playground ImprovementsWe are fundraising to enhance the playground at Sciennes Primary. Using natural materials, loose
A wonderful evening, thoroughly enjoyed by all, and an amazing amount of £1200 raised for playground developments. Thank you to
Grateful thanks to all parents, carers, pupils and staff who attended the Camera Obscura and the World of Illusions Evening
 So far, easyfundraising supporters of Sciennes Primary School have raised an amazing  £1,393.83You, too, can raise money for Sciennes, just
Your child will have brought home a sample of their Christmas Card for 2014. If you would like to buy
Thank you very much to Quinn, Izzie and Sam who raised a fantastic £80.00 selling apples and pears from their
Our recent Parent Council Comedy Quiz Night raised a fantastic £1000 towards the playground redevelopment - enormous thanks to the
FUNDRAISING AND EVENTS GROUP MEETING Mon 27th Oct, 7-9pm in Room 15. All hands on deck for playground fundraising! The focus for
Primary wants to expand play area into city street by JOHN-PAUL HOLDENjohnpaul.holden@edinburghnews.com Edinburgh Evening News Published on the 13 October