Important Dates

  • Primary 1 Welcome session for children to visit their new class and teacher - Friday 16 August 2024. Sessions are either 9.30am or 10.30am and times will be emailed out at the end of June.
  • Primary 1 Parents’ Information Evening - 7pm on Tuesday 27 August 2024 in your classroom at  Easter Ravelston
  • Session Dates - see below.

Uniform

 The Uniform List is available below and on request from the Junior School Office.

All items of clothing and equipment must be clearly marked with your child’s name.

Appearance

Children should wear PE kit (with tracksuit on top) if they have PE on that day. School tracksuits will help keep children warm during their PE lessons when they are outside. Waterproofs will be needed in case it rains on a PE day. On other days children should wear school uniform. A warm coat/ waterproof jacket is needed every day as the children will be outside at break times except in extreme conditions.

We have very high expectations of our children and we expect them to always wear their uniform neatly. Children are regularly reminded to tuck in their shirts/blouses, pull up their socks etc. and we rely very much on parental support to help us to ensure that children can feel proud of the way in which they wear their uniform. Hair and jewellery are both issues on which we would appreciate your support.

  • Jewellery - children may wear one pair of discreet gold or silver studs if their ears are pierced. Rings are not to be worn at school.
  • Hair - Hair should be of a natural colour and should not cover the face or eyes. Due to the many practical activities, lessons and breaktimes in a day, hair that is longer than shoulder length should be tied back or up for safety and hygiene. Hair accessories should be in school colours (blue, red, black, navy, gold, tartan) and should be functional rather than just decorative.
  • Bags - A recommended rucksack for children at Ravelston may be purchased from Easter Ravelston Reception.
  • Reflective strips - can be worn on top of coats, etc. and are available from School Suppliers. Stevensons can also sew the strips on.
  • School badges - may be worn on blazer lapels and one other badge may be worn at Class Teacher’s discretion.
  • Summer uniform - for Primary 1-3 is to be worn from after the Easter holiday and then up to and including the last Friday in September.
  • Velcro Fastenings - We are aware that certain uniform providers make shirts and blouses with Velcro fastenings at the top. However, we would ask that you ensure your child has one with a top button with button hole; this provides an important opportunity for the development of good fine motor control.

Uniform Suppliers

Regulation uniform may only be purchased from school suppliers (stevensons.co.uk)

All sports kit can be obtained from Stevensons or: www.pslteamsports.com

Please note that all PE kit is common to the Junior School and Stewart's Melville College Senior School for boys and The Mary Erskine School for girls.

Second-hand uniform and sportswear is available from the Thrift Shop.

Thrift Shop

  • The school has a substantial Thrift Shop and it can be found at 5 Queensferry Terrace.
  • It stocks second-hand uniform and sports kit/equipment that caters for all children in the Junior School, Stewart’s Melville College and The Mary Erskine School.
  • During term time the shop will be open every Thursday afternoon from 3.00pm - 4.30pm, and on the first Saturday of the month from 9.30am - 12.00pm.
  • There are also pre-session shops in the run up to the start of term and times will be published via SchoolPost.

Summer and Winter Uniform

Summer uniform - for Primary 1-3 is to be worn from after the Easter holiday and then up to and including the last Friday in September. Summer uniform for Primary 4-7 is to be worn from Easter until the October holiday.


Swimming kit is not required in Primary 1.

The underlayer and windcheater are also not required in Primary 1.

Equipment

Primary 1 children are required to bring/keep the following in school each day:

  • An art overall or large shirt (named) – this should be left in school and only taken home when instructed by the Class Teacher.
  • A regulation school ‘mac in a sac’ (named) – this should be packed in their school bag.
  • Waterproof dungarees – navy blue (can be ordered from school) and left in school
  • Wellington boots (named) and left in school
  • Water bottle
  • Tissues
  • A pencil case (simple, with as few distractions on it as possible)
  • A regulation school bag* and the six items below which are provided and added to the school fees.
    • A large Pritt stick
    • Plastic crayons
    • Scissors
    • A reading folder
    • 2 sharp pencils
    • Coloured pencils

*Please note, the school bag will be given out at the Welcome session or on the first day of school along with the items listed above.

All the above items should be clearly named as soon as possible.

Personal Possessions

Children are encouraged not to bring valuable personal possessions to school and not to carry money with them unless absolutely necessary. There is a Junior School Policy in respect of mobile phones but other than that we do not encourage children to bring valuables to school as they can so easily be lost and are often very hard to trace. 

Class Teachers will always give parents advice on what is or is not suitable. 

Please note that children's belongings, including musical instruments, cannot be insured under the Schools' insurance policy.

Contact details and information about your family

Parents should ensure that the information about their child/children is up to date including medical information. Please also inform the school of any changes in family circumstances.

  • Current families can do this in ‘My ESMS’ by going to ‘My Details’ then clicking on your child’s tab and editing the dietary or medical details.
  • New families can add and update information by clicking on the link on the Firefly page (details will be sent mid April about how to do this).

The ESMS website is a source of current information and the address is www.esms.org.uk.

School emails are usually posted at 6.00pm each evening.

Parents and Security

All visitors to either site are required to sign in at Reception at Easter Ravelston Office. Parents delivering and collecting children are not required to sign in but if you are coming in during the day for any reason it is important that you obtain a visitor’s badge. All visitors to the sites wear these badges and children are asked to speak to a teacher or to another member of staff if they see any adult on site without a visitor’s badge.

All employees of the school also wear their own particular badge so that they can be easily identified by children who might not otherwise know them. It is important that parents understand and accept the significance we attach to our children’s security on site and your co-operation in ensuring that you always wear a visitor’s badge out with delivering and collection times is appreciated.

Photographs of Children

Individual and Class photographs are taken every year of all children in the Junior School and can be purchased by parents. We also take photographs informally of children involved in various activities throughout the session and these are often displayed around the school.

Photographs and images of children can also be used in official school publications such as the school Prospectus and promotional leaflets. All parents are given the opportunity to let us know if they do not wish their child’s photograph to be taken for such purposes but it must be understood that such a decision taken by parents would mean that their child or children could not be photographed as part of a team or group.

Parents are also given the right to refuse permission for their child’s image to be used on our schools’ website or on our social media sites. The names of individual children never appear on the website and we are of course aware of the potential for the misuse of such photographs.

Fees, Academic Scholarships and Extras

Fees can be paid in advance or by Direct Debit.

Parents who encounter difficulty paying fees are always encouraged to contact the Bursar as a matter of urgency so that he can offer advice and make practical suggestions.  If you have to remove your child from school then one full term's written notice must be given. Means-tested financial support may be made available to parents of children as they move into S1 of either of the two Senior Schools.

Extras Account

Any additional expenses incurred by your child during the session, including such items as the cost of local trips and school photographs are charged to your Extras Account after you have signed the appropriate consent form. The Extras Account is invoiced four times a year, and is normally collected by Direct Debit in October, January, April and July.

e-plus (Early Birds, After School Club and Holiday Club)

‘where education and care are one’

www.esms.org.uk/fees/wraparound-care

We are aware that many families have to juggle work, home and school commitments and e-Plus aims to offers an innovative approach to childcare.

There are a number of services available:

Early Birds: Nursery – Primary 3     7.45am – 8.30am

After School Club: Nursery – Primary 7 from the end of the child’s school day.

Holiday Club: Nursery – Primary 7   8.15am – 6.00pm (information about booking will be emailed mid May.

Current families who require any of the e-Plus services, please log on to ‘My ESMS’ and go into the e-Plus section and complete the online booking form.

Should you require further information about the services on offer, please do not hesitate to contact our e-Plus Administration team eplussecretary@esms.org.uk 0131 347 5844.