The International School Aberdeen (ISA) has unveiled details about its nursery joining the Aberdeen City Council’s funded hours scheme, set to begin in August 2025. This initiative is a key component of “ISA Nursery Encore!”, an expansion of the school’s preschool provision under its wider “Encore!” extended hours programme.
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Outstanding Facilities
The ISA Nursery is situated in a modern, purpose-built area of the school campus near Cults with full access to wider school facilities. Children benefit from direct access to a large, enclosed outdoor play area, promoting active learning and exploration, and a bright indoor space where creativity and imagination are nurtured through child-led activities. Staff play a crucial role in this, skilfully guiding children to learn through play and enabling them to explore and develop.
The quality of the nursery is reflected in parental feedback. One parent commented, “The staff are all friendly and personable. They truly care about the children and it shows. They are wonderful at keeping parents informed of what is going on in preschool. The facility is outstanding, especially the garden. My child truly loves going to school at ISA preschool“.
Fully Funded Provision
From August 2025, ISA will partner with Aberdeen City Council to offer 1,140 hours of Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) funded provision for children aged three to five. These funded hours are available during term time, Monday to Friday, from 8am to 2:10pm, and will include lunch for the children.
Flexible options
ISA will offer families three distinct programme tiers to cater to varying needs:
- ISA Nursery: Operating from 8am to 2:10pm, Monday to Friday during term-time, this option is fully covered by the ELC funded hours.
- ISA Nursery Encore!: This tier extends care from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, during term-time. It is partially funded through the ELC hours, with additional costs for the extended afternoon care.
- ISA Preschool Encore+: Offering care from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, all year round (including holiday periods), this option is also partially funded during term time through ELC hours.
The school emphasises that it will retain its flexibility with three, four, and five-day attendance options available for families.
Andrea Taylor, head of preschool at ISA, commented on the new developments: “At ISA, we understand that every family’s schedule is different. Our Encore! programme is giving families flexibility while allowing children to continue to learn and have fun in a familiar, supportive environment.”
This expanded offering aims to provide an enriching, nurturing, and creative environment for ISA’s youngest learners, giving parents flexible and affordable high-quality early years education and care.
Further Information
The team at ISA are happy to arrange visits for any interested families. To arrange a visit or for further details on fees for “Encore!” and “Encore+” options, families are encouraged to contact the ISA admissions office at admissions@isa.aberdeen.sch.uk.
Further information can also be found on the International School Aberdeen’s website.
Conversation