• Childcare in Drumchapel, Clydebank,, Knightswood,
• Give your child the very best start in life
• Glasgow, Old Drumchapel, Blairdardie, Knightswood,
• Free education sessions for pre-school children
• Safe, secure, stimulating and loving environmment
• junior tennis, German language and culture, dance
• swimming lessons, drama, music and movement
• Curriculum for Excellence / Birth- three curricu i

Childcare to the highest standard and quailty, delivered by a committed, motivated and inspired team of staff

MISSION STATEMENT
The early years are a crucial stage for the later development of children and they lay the foundation for the rest of life. The importance of this period is recognised and understood by the nursery staff.
We will ensure that each child has the opportunity to develop its potential in full. The four capacities, as described by the Curriculum for Excellence, those of knowledge, skills development, learning and work are used as the focus for the planning of learning choices and experiences. The management and staff have the means of delivering these capacities and are fully committed to the implementation of the Curriculum for Excellence: they take their responsibilities in this regard as a matter of priority.
Our purpose at Gowanlea is to enable each child to be a successful leaner, a confident individual, an effective contributor and a responsible citizen: Gowanlea Nursery offers a loving, safe, and stimulating environment in which these goals can be met.

We hope to make the early years as happy and productive as possible in an environment where children can grow and learn.

1. Becoming a Confident Individual
The nursery strives to create a sense of physical and mental wellbeing for the children. Within such a setting children learn to develop self-confidence, something that is vital for social development and friend-making.
Children need good levels of confidence so that they can express their own thoughts, not only among their peers but also in the educational placements they encounter in later schooling. The development of personal self-confidence is an important psychological factor for the challenges that are involved in both personal relationships and in the education process in general. At Gowanlea the learning programmes are designed to help with the development of self-confidence so that the children's social and educational activities become easier. The staff at Gowanlea is aware of the need to encourage self-confidence and regard this as one of the principal developmental goals for all children at the nursery.
2. Becoming an Effective Contributor
An integral part of the educational process at Gowanlea is to encourage children to contribute to group activities – the staff offers this encouragement on a daily basis. As children learn to participate in nursery life they become more self-assured and develop the confidence to contribute to learning exercises that take place in groups.
Life at Gowanlea is structured in a way that enables children to acquire skills that will help them when they make the transition to primary education – having the ability to

contribute to educational activities is an important skill and one that can be fostered in a constructive nursery setting. Gowanlea is able to achieve at this level.
The nursery staff develop child contribution in a variety of practical ways and in different situations and settings: this is done through team and partnership games, problem solving exercises and leadership role play.
With proper care and encouragement children learn to join in and contribute. Through the process of contribution, children develop self-esteem and their communication skills normally improve, also. For this reason, ‘becoming an effective contributor' is a principal goal of the work of the nursery. Good levels of contribution and participation are valued and reinforced and the staff at Gowanlea provides positive rewards for children when they achieve success in this area.
3. Becoming a Successful Learner
At Gowanlea, we take the view that parents are the primary educators of their children. In this respect, our aim is to establish constructive links between the nursery and home so that the children get the best possible educational benefit. The nursery staff strive to establish productive relationships with parents and regard this as a means of obtaining a clear and unified approach toward the child's education. Parents are encouraged to take an interest in the work of the nursery and to understand its goals and methods. The nursery provides a continual flow of information by both formal and informal means and parents can be assured that they will always be kept abreast of their child's progress and will also be informed of all policy initiatives at the nursery
Education is the keynote at Gowanlea and the nursery works to maximise educational advantage for all children in its care. The staff understand the importance of giving children an educational ‘head start' and the nursery prides itself on its ability to deliver success in this regard.
The children's willingness to learn is encouraged through a variety of stimulating play exercises that are designed to improve the children's abilities at every level and help them to enjoy the learning experience.
Parents should also know that the nursery places emphasis on the development of the child's language skills. It is recognised that well developed language skills is a prerequisite for success in all future learning situations. Accordingly, that staff at Gowanlea continually work at improving the children's word usage and abilities of expression so that, when they leave the nursery, they have the verbal ability to engage fully with the educational process at school.


4. Becoming a Responsible Citizen
The need for responsible citizenship is an essential part of social life and, at Gowanlea, this is regarded as a principal developmental goal for all children. We believe that, for very young children, the best way to teach this is to encourage the children to respect and value one another; the staff at the nursery remind children of the need for this whenever the opportunity arises.
Gowanlea receives and welcomes all children. At an elementary level, they are all taught that the differences between individuals are something to be valued and celebrated. By instilling this value at an early age children learn to separate themselves from prejudice and discrimination - this is a primary requirement in the promotion of good citizenship.
In practical terms, the nursery marks the festivals of different cultures and, together, the staff and children 'research' the meanings of these. This helps to give the children a perspective on other cultures and encourages a sense of unity for different groups and individuals.

Trading Since

1998

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