School Curriculum – Kaimes School

Our curriculum at Kaimes is adapted to suit the needs of the young people. We operate a Base Class Model throughout the school. This means that young people across our school and classes spend most of their time with one teacher (their base class teacher).

This reduces the number of transitions throughout the day and allows each young person to have a ‘base’ classroom which is always accessible to them. Base classes promote strong and positive relationships with teachers and peers, increased parental engagement and also allow for greater tracking and monitoring of learning to occur.

The maximum class size across our school is six. Each class is allocated a teacher and our standard complement is one Pupil Support Assistant (or Nursery Nurse) per class. As need or circumstance require more support may be facilitated to the best of our ability.

We benefit from specialist teachers in: Art, Music, PE, Science, Home Economics and Outdoor Learning.

From break time on Fridays, all of our young people take part in ‘Friday Activities’. This is an opportunity to mix with a wider range of peers developing social skills whilst taking part in a broader experience. These activities change but usually include: hama beads, uno, social board games, football, chess, choir, band, Wii, cinema and art! Friday late morning not only provides a positive end to our week at Kaimes but also allows for a smoother transition to the weekend.

BGE Curriculum

Children and young people in Scotland study a Broad General Education until the end of S3. In Kaimes, learners work within a base class for most of the time each day. Base Class teachers lead on teaching literacy, numeracy, health and wellbeing and interdisciplinary learning. The base class teacher is the main point of contact for parents and families. Learners also benefit from specialist teaching in Art, Music, PE, Home Economics, Science and Outdoor Learning.

Alongside the delivery of the curriculum, at Kaimes we also prioritise personalised learning focussed on developing key skills (communication skills, social and emotional skills, life and independence skills). All learners at Kaimes have an Individual Education Plan.

Senior Curriculum

Students in the Senior Phase at Kaimes (S4 – 6) remain with a Base Class Teacher for most of the week. This teacher is responsible for delivering English and Literacy, Maths and Numeracy and Health and Wellbeing.

We recognise the individual talents, skills and passions of our students. In the Senior Phase, each young person makes column choices where they can spend more time focusing on areas of interest.

In S4 – 6, all young people work towards a range of Qualifications Scotland (SQA) National Qualifications. Each year, we deliver courses from National 1 to National 4. The majority of our awards for 2025/26 were at National 2 and National 3 level.

There is a clear focus on preparing the young people for life after school by developing skills across the curriculum as young people progress through their time at Kaimes.

Partnerships

In Kaimes School, we recognise the vital importance of maintaining strong partnership approaches to improve outcomes for our learners. Some of our young people find it difficult to engage in a traditional format of learning, and so we work closely with various partners to deliver a broad education with a range of opportunities for wider achievement.

We benefit from working alongside organisations such as:

• Barnardo’s

• Spartan’s Football

• Developing the Young Workforce (DYW)

• RUTS

• LOVE Gorgie

• The Yard

• Edinburgh Leisure – You Can Project

• The Drum RDA

• Duke of Edinburgh

• Active 8

• Bridge 8 Hub

• Skills Development Scotland (SDS)