New Childhood Practice Hub opens at Edinburgh College Sighthill Campus
Edinburgh College’s Sighthill Campus is welcoming the opening of a brand-new hub for childcare students.
The new immersive teaching space, which is designed to simulate all the sights, sounds and smells of a real-world nursery, will let prospective practitioners get some all-important hands-on experience, while also allowing for their classroom studies, helping prepare students to enter the workforce after they complete their courses.
As well as prospective practitioners, the space is used for professional development courses, with the College offering qualifications ranging from SCQF Level 4 through to SCQF Level 9.
The space, which came about as a result of increased demand for Childhood Practice courses, features lots of open space and outdoor inspired design touches, to improve focus and mental wellbeing. There are doors painted with forest scenes, alongside sky tiles on the ceiling.
There’s a kitchen which can be used to practice food hygiene, as well as make cups of tea, while dedicated quiet areas will allow students to sit down and take a break when needed. The different learning spaces let practitioners explore how play takes place in a nursery setting.
Doors open up into a garden to simulate free flow indoor/outdoor learning and teaching, lining up with current professional standards in the early learning and childcare sector.
Feedback from students has been overwhelmingly positive, with the spaciousness and amount of natural light pouring in seen as a big bonus, making it a warm, welcoming and interactive environment in which to learn.
Rooms will also be utilised for yoga classes and other events, with students from across the College able to book it out.
Jacqueline Vural, the Head of School for Childhood Practice, is excited to see the hub being put to use:
“Developing this space at Sighthill Campus is ensuring that Edinburgh College is at the forefront of providing high quality learning and teaching in childhood practice, responding to demand from the public and private sectors for highly qualified staff.
“It’ll mean students can experience first-hand, immersive activities that replicate what it’s like to work in a childcare setting. It will give them confidence and motivation to go into their placements and gain the skills they need to move into employment after college.”
This year alone the College has received over 900 enrolments on Childhood Practice courses – this includes around 300 full-time students.
The space was officially opened yesterday (Thursday 15 January 2026) by Dr. Suzanne Zeedyk, a renowned developmental psychologist and Honorary Fellow at the University of Dundee.
Find out more about Childhood Practice courses on the Edinburgh College website.