Welcome To Colinton Private Nursery
Providing children with high quality care from within a family orientated setting since 1997.
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0131 477 7330
Colinton Private Nursery is a long‑established children’s day nursery in Edinburgh, operating since 1997 and offering 59 registered places. We provide high‑quality childcare and early learning for children aged 3 months to 5 years, supporting families with a warm, relationship‑centred approach.
Our nursery is situated in a quiet, leafy suburban area of Colinton, offering a calm and welcoming environment for children.
At Colinton Private Nursery, we are committed to creating a nurturing, play‑rich environment where children thrive through real‑world experiences, exploration and responsive care.
For more information about us, including booking places, detailed fee information and to take a virtual tour of our nursery, click on the link below.
Enrolment & Attendance
At Colinton Private Nursery, we aim to make the enrolment process clear, supportive and accessible for all families. Our approach ensures that parents feel informed from the very beginning, and that children experience a smooth, nurturing transition into nursery life.
Enrolment Process
Families are welcome to enquire about availability throughout the year. Following an initial enquiry, we offer a nursery tour and an opportunity to meet key staff. Once a place is confirmed, families receive our enrolment pack, which includes essential information, required documentation, and details of our settling‑in process.
To support a positive start, we provide two free settling sessions, allowing children to become familiar with their new environment at a pace that suits them.
Attendance Patterns and Operating Hours
We operate a 50‑week year, with planned closure dates communicated in advance. Our nursery is open Monday to Friday, from 8:00am to 6:00pm, offering flexible attendance options to support family routines and working patterns.
Families can choose from the following session options:
- Full Day Care: 8:00am – 6:00pm
- Morning Session: 8:00am – 1:00pm
- Afternoon Session: 1:15pm – 6:00pm
Attendance options are discussed during enrolment to ensure clarity around funded and non‑funded hours, session availability, and any additional requirements.
Supporting a Smooth Start
We work closely with families to ensure children feel secure, confident and ready to learn. Staff gather key information about each child’s routines, preferences and needs, helping us provide personalised care from day one. Our family learning platform also offers ongoing communication, updates and resources to support children’s learning at home.
Fees & Funding
Colinton Private Nursery operates a 50‑week year, which accounts for planned nursery closure dates. A registration fee of £75 applies to all children, except those eligible for preschool funding.
Funding Entitlement
Children aged 3 to 4 years are eligible to receive 1140 hours of funded early learning and childcare per year (the term after their third birthday).
At Colinton Private Nursery, we deliver these funded hours across 50 weeks, which provides 22.8 fully funded hours per week through Edinburgh City Council.
- There is no requirement for families to purchase additional non‑funded hours.
- Any hours beyond the 22.8 funded hours per week are charged at our published hourly rate.
What's Included In Our Fees?
Our fees are fully inclusive of the following:
- Healthy, balanced meals and nutritional snacks
- Water and milk, including alternatives for dietary requirements
- Nappies and wipes
- Baking and cooking activities
- Two free settling‑in sessions
- Access to our family learning platform
- Graduation ceremony and nativity performance
Our Team
At Colinton Private Nursery, we are committed to recruiting and retaining a highly skilled, professional and nurturing team who uphold our values of Respected, Achieving, Included and Nurtured in everything they do.
Commitment To Quality
A strong commitment to high‑quality care and early learning, rooted in responsive, relationship‑centred practice.
Continuous Professional Development
Ongoing Continuous Professional Development (CPD), ensuring staff remain confident, knowledgeable and up‑to‑date with current guidance, best practice and sector expectations.
Balanced Professional & Vocational Skills
A breadth of qualifications, experience and specialist expertise, including early years practice, child development, safeguarding, additional support needs, play‑based pedagogy, and children’s nutrition to support healthy growth and development.
Reflective Practice
A culture of reflective practice, where staff collaborate, share ideas and continually improve the learning environment for children. This includes dedicated in‑service days, giving our team protected time to reflect, train, review practice and enhance the quality of experiences we provide.
For detailed information about any of the above, click on the link below.
Our Approach
Our Approach
Our mission is to create a joyful, nurturing and inspiring early learning environment where children feel secure, confident and curious. We support a smooth transition from home to nursery and encourage creativity, exploration and positive relationships, helping every child develop the social and emotional skills they need for the next stage in their learning journey.
Our Vision
Our vision is to create a safe, nurturing and enjoyable environment where every child feels valued and supported. We aim to provide engaging play experiences, enriched by meaningful adult interactions, that help children realise their full potential and grow with confidence.
Our Values
Respected
We give children meaningful opportunities to make choices, develop their own ideas and take part in decision‑making, helping them feel heard and valued.
Achieving
We create a family‑like atmosphere where children feel safe, secure and loved, allowing them to grow in confidence and achieve their full potential.
Included
We build strong, positive relationships among children, families and staff, ensuring everyone feels welcomed, connected and part of our nursery community.
Nurtured
We support every child as an individual, providing the care, encouragement and experiences they need to thrive and reach their full potential.
Curriculum and Frameworks
At Colinton Private Nursery, our curriculum offers rich, inspiring learning experiences that nurture children’s curiosity, confidence and development. Through play, exploration and meaningful interactions with adults, children experience the awe and wonder of the world around them.
We follow Realising the Ambition, the Curriculum for Excellence, and guidance from the Care Inspectorate and Education Scotland. These frameworks help us create high‑quality learning environments where children develop essential skills and grow as confident, capable learners.
We record and share children’s learning through Famly, our online learning journal, keeping families connected and involved in their child’s development.
Outdoor Play
Promoting children’s health and wellbeing is central to our practice, and we actively encourage outdoor play and physical activity every day. Time spent outdoors in fresh air supports children’s physical development, emotional regulation and overall happiness.
We take part in the Daily Mile initiative, giving children regular opportunities to move, run and build stamina in a fun, motivating way. Our secure, enclosed garden areas provide safe spaces for exploration, active play and meaningful learning experiences across all seasons.
Outdoor play helps children grow in confidence, resilience and independence — and at Colinton Private Nursery, it’s an essential part of every child’s day.
Mealtimes and Nutrition
We are committed to promoting children’s health and wellbeing through nutritious, home‑cooked meals. We work closely with our sister company, Little Lunches, who prepare freshly made meals designed to give every child the best possible start in life.
The menus focus on balanced, wholesome food that supports healthy physical and mental development. From infancy through preschool, we encourage children to enjoy food, understand its benefits and develop independence through home‑serving, where children are supported to serve their own meals, make choices and learn portion awareness at a pace that suits them.
Mealtimes are carefully designed to be calm, relaxed and unhurried, allowing children to enjoy their food, build positive associations with eating and develop social skills through conversation and shared experiences.
We follow national guidance, including Setting the Table, to ensure our meals meet the nutritional needs of nursery‑aged children. Breakfast, a hot lunch and a warm afternoon snack are provided each day, with menus operating on a three‑week cycle and updated seasonally.
All menus are reviewed by a nutritionist to ensure they meet — and exceed — government expectations for early years nutrition. Our lunch and afternoon tea menus have achieved Early Years Nutrition Partnership ADVANCED accreditation, reflecting our commitment to excellence.
Take A Quick Look At Our Nursery
Click on the link below to take a virtual tour of our nursery.
A selection of words from appreciative parents…
Contact Details
Visit Us
22 Dreghorn Loan, Colinton, Edinburgh EH13 0DE
Call Us
0131 477 7330
Email Us
info@colinton.org
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