Messages of support | hamiltonassociation

We have over 40 years collective experience of the school, and wish to express to parents our ongoing confidence in the School, based on this. Our children are the most precious things in our lives and we chose and continue to choose to keep our children in the Hamilton School. All of us have personal experience of the tremendous support of the Taylor family and the staff who maintain their professionalism. We remain grateful to them for their continuing care of our children, and we hope that this offers some assurance to fellow parents of the school.

The Hamilton Association

My son has spent the last 5 years at Hamilton. He is a happy, confident and intelligent little boy. He is very proud of his school, he loves his friends and his class teacher, who has been teaching him for the last 2 years. I respect her integrity, her discipline and trust her implicitly with the care and education of the most important person in my life. All the staff at school are caring, loving and respectful and I have absolutely no concerns about his well being from the moment I drop him off to the moment I collect him (however getting him out of the building can be difficult as there is always so much going on that he is reluctant to leave)! Can I also mention that he loves his school dinners, apparently nothing I make is as good (his words, not mine) and he keeps reminding me to ask for the recipies!!

We have been constantly surprised by our child's study progress made at the Hamilton School, and happy to see a happy, confident, healthy, caring child growing in this friendly environment. There are occasionally some downside iusses such as missing items, delays in answering our inquiries, but who in this world are perfect? Our experience as parents is that, if we did address our concerns to management, our queries were dealt with in a timely manner. My child has never complaint about any staff memerbers over the past three years and it has been a pleasure to hear my child's good words about each of staff members, including those who have left. Thank you, the Hamilton School, for inspiring our child in such a positively way!

My daughter has been at The Hamilton School since she was 12 weeks old. For the first 12 weeks of her Hamilton life she was given a one to one with a very experienced nursery nurse. My family owe at lot to Hamilton as they have allowed both my husband and myself to be able to leave my daughter happy each morning so we can be content going to work. My daughter is now 4 1/2 years old and will be at the school until she is ready for secondary education. My family support all the staff and Taylor family on the continued good work that I am seeing on the progress of my daughters education. Long May it continue. Keep up the good work.

Our child has attended The Hamilton since 1 year old and has been there for some time now. The decision for my wife to return to work was not financially driven as it was not required, nor was it motivated by careers goals as the return to work was on a part time basis. The driver for my child going to nursery was to aid their development in both a social and personal basis. We thoroughly researched many nurseries and used the Care Inspectorate reports as guidance and settled upon a nursery with an exceptional Inspectorate report which was not The Hamilton. During the process of dropping off and application for at this nursery my wife experienced a serious security breach which immediately changed our minds about that nursery which had a higher grading than The Hamilton and had also up until that point claimed to have had no complaints. We had not visited The Hamilton at this point and had discounted all others in our local area but decided there was nothing to be lost by arranging a visit. My first impression was that I had entered a parallel world and that facilities, standards and the children within don't exist in our current society. I am far from upper class but I desire the best for my child and upon leaving The Hamilton there was no doubt that the best I could offer my child was The Hamilton due to the facilities, care programme and developmemt in place. The initial weeks were a challenge for myself and my wife to say the least with more tears shed on our side than our child’s. The Hamilton were quick to identify an issue at drop off and put a system in place, which allowed drop off, and debriefing to take place separately to limit the disruption to the child. This also allowed myself the opportunity to listen at the door and to my shock the upset cries almost instantly stopped and this pattern has continued for some time now, demonstrating that my child’s individual needs were being catered for. Whilst the return to work was difficult for my wife it renewed our relationship as partners after what had been a challenging year bringing our precious child into the world and the demands that go with it. The topics of conversation were not dominated by our child’s day and brought about a renewed energy in my wife, although parenting is definitely the most tiring job in the world, even now! The biggest single indicator in my child’s development was that after only a matter of months at the Hamilton we received a visit from complete strangers one day which my child greeted with open arms and contently sat with while we chatted. Prior to joining the Hamilton my child was reluctant to be with me let alone grandparents such was the dependency on my wife, a dependency which we believe to be unhealthy. Every single day that my child has attended the Hamilton we have received a full debrief of the days activities, nappy changes, sleeps and food diary. Early on my wife flagged that she wasn't receiving enough feedback on my child’s activities during the day which was countered with more detailed daily reports combined with photo updates on a weekly basis. During my child’s time at The Hamilton there has been a number of changes in personnel within the class be it due to internal reorganisation or personnel leaving The Hamilton. Whilst initially this was unsettling, as our first main carer in particular was the sweetest girl that both myself and my wife had gotten attached to not to name our child, we soon seen this as a positive. The standard of replacement personnel were as good as the previous and this again allowed our child to gain further independence and not to become reliant on one individual which can only be healthy for their advancement to the upper classes. Unfortunately our child has experienced two accidents at the Hamilton but these could both have quite as easily happened at home. One accident left a bruise and the other left barely visible marking at all, however both were covered by incident reports one of which I recall was signed by the Principal along with the floor management and first aider. Both these incidents were explained to us in the report and aligned with the mischief that our child gets up to and the comprehensive manner in which the incident was managed was welcome and reassuring. Our child has gone through peaks and troughs with her diet but despite the change-out of staff as previously mentioned, the food diary has been delivered by several personnel in a consistent manner over the course of our child’s time at The Hamilton. On some days our child’s appetite has been good and on others not so god and there has been full transparency in the food diary. In addition, on the occasional morning when our child has perhaps not ate well at home we have advised the Hamilton of this and they have been quick to ensure that breakfast is provided to our child’s at no extra cost to ourselves as the view of The Hamilton is that it is rare and our child’s welfare comes first. During our child’s time in The Hamilton in our opinion the headcount of children to carers has been consistent and has not given us concern. My final point relates to the staff at the Hamilton, the consistent long term staff who are aligned with the principles and strategy of the school and nursery. These people do an excellent job in what is a very demanding sector and it is thoroughly appreciated by the parents as our children are the most precious gifts in the world. I know that good work is also rewarded at The Hamilton as I have a recent real example of a member of staff that felt compelled to leave due a personal matter which was countered by full flexibility for that member of staff in their working hours to support them in their personal needs, enforcing that hard work is rewarded in this organisation. To the general public reading this, reference to gender of child, specific staff members, myself and my wife have been written generically as this is a support board for our School and Nursery and enough harm and upset has been caused to the children, parents, staff and the school without further allowing individual campaigns against members who support the Hamilton. And finally I will say this, there are 3 sides to every story, the complainant, the defender and the truth and the responsibility to decide what is the truth is that of the Care Inspectorate, Local authority and School Board but forty years of continued operation and development of many fine young people is truth enough for me in the manner in which the school and nursery has provided care.

I have two children in the early years department. I can confidently say that both are happy there: they are happy to go in; they tell me excitedly about what they have done that day; they show me what they have learned; they talk affectionately about their teachers. I am also confident that the staff caring for my children are doing exactly that, caring. They know my children as individuals and that is evident in the way they talk about them to me and in the way they behave towards my children. I am confident that my children are learning and flourishing there as they demonstrate new found skills at home. My children's favourite game is to pretend to have a nursery at home for their toys and everything they mimic from nursery shows what a positive experience they have there. It is for all of these reasons that I wish to express my support for the Hamilton School.

I just want to say that my child thoroughly enjoys their time at school. She loves her teacher, has fun with her friends and has learned so much. She is a very outspoken child who tells me everything about her day, including the playground gossip! Who fell out with who, who took who's ball etc, but never anything negative about the school. She enjoys French, likes maths and cursive, but LOVES swimming with Mr Taylor and Mr Stuart. she's happy, and if she's happy, I'm happy!

Our children have attended the Hamilton school since my Daughter was two and my Son was one. During our long relationship with the school we have all had nothing but positive experiences with the nursery/teaching and office staff as well as all members of the Taylor family. Since my children moved in to primary I would say that Mrs Taylor and her teaching staff have always had an open door policy and any concerns I have had (and there have been few) were dealt with very quickly. On the one singular occasion I felt the need to speak with Mrs Taylor herself regarding an issue I was particularly concerned about she was very open, honest and helpful and she worked with the children in the class to resolve the matter. My children absolutely love attending the Hamilton school and most days when I arrive to collect them they don't want to leave. We often get told on the way to school "dont pick us up early today!". The definition of early being when the bell goes at 3.45pm. During their time at the school they have enjoyed a varied curriculum from some fantastic teachers and we as a family fully support Mrs Taylor, her family and all the staff and teachers at the Hamilton school.

My daughter is 11 1/2 years old and in her last year as a Hamilton pupil. She has been with the school, with only a short break, since she was 14 months old and the happy, thoughtful, confident girl that she has become is very much a result of her experiences at nursery and at school. Hamilton staff and Mrs Taylor in particular have been a positive constant all through her life and through my time as a parent. Given the opportunity, I would not change anything about my daughter's upbringing or the massive role which the Hamilton family has had in it.

I was saddened to read the comments online relating to yourself and The Hamilton School. I spent five years with you and learned a huge amount about the teaching profession. Personally, I left The Hamilton to pursue other avenues within my career and extend my knowledge and understanding of the education system. I often find myself repeating ‘Hamilton’ phrases as good practice. Children were always at the centre of your vision and received a high standard of education and pastoral care. There have been comments passed regarding training and resources. You allowed me to access a wide variety of courses throughout my time to enhance my professional development and as a result of these courses supplied me with any resources I asked for (within reason! I am still happy to spend other people’s money!). I am shocked that people have attributed blame to you in regards a manager's illness and untimely death. You were a very dear friend to her and offered her support, compassion and kindness throughout her illness. You looked after her children as if they were part of your own family and I know, having taught both of the children, how much that meant to Her. I also disseminated my own training to the trainee nursery nurses during Wednesday night training. I felt that the training they received was of a high standard and very relevant to the jobs that they were undertaking.

My Son is 5 and he is in Hamilton for more than 2 years. Although we had acceptance letters from other private schools in Aberdeen, but we chose Hamilton mainly based on strong recommendations that I got from couple of my colleagues , who not only sent their children to this school but also some of them send their grandchildren too. My Son was very shy before joining Hamilton, but now he is very confident in his social life. He is clearly enjoying his time at school. My wife and I have never had any concern with regard to teachers’ competency or quality of education and service in Hamilton. I have absolutely no hesitation to recommend this school to anybody.

My son has been at Hamilton school for three years, and I really appreciate the school's very diligent care for 'each' child. I believe the school has great children, and those children are happy with and love the school, teachers and classmate.

My son has been with the Hamilton School for 6 yrs, since he was 2 and is doing very well. He is a very happy child and loves school - in fact we have a problem getting to leave at hometime as he can't bear to leave his friends & teacher! Any dietry issues are more than catered for and I know for a FACT the school actually bought in specific 'branded' food they dont normally have as that what my son ate. I am often told at home my curry or mince & tatties isn't like school make it and can i ask them how they do it. I am made aware if my son has been 'as boys often are' a wee rogue and it's dealt with no fuss. my son was bitten once in Skye and this was NOT hidden from me - i was informed straight away upon my arrival for collection. If I ever had felt I wasn't happy with something I know for a FACT I have been able to talk to Mrs Taylor and discuss like the professionl adults we are, any problem and it is dealt with - there is no backlash, no ill feeling and no drama, no being lied to and a cover up. My son has LOVED his teacher for the last two years and the improvment we have seen has been very good. My son is a polite, well mannered happy boy, he's active, sociable, plays with everyone and yes occasionally there are 'scuffles' in the playground or classroom but show me a school that doesn't - i don't believe it exists!! Perfection does not exist, reality does - the reality is, my son is happy here, he is being taught well, he is learning. Oh, and believe me, i know everyting going on, my son is 'goldmine' of information and can't wait to spill the beans on the days goings-on - laugh a minute on the drive home.

I am a parent of a child in Uist and I have found the recent media attention surrounding this blog extremely distressing. I feel like I have had to justify why I think Hamilton was the correct decision for my child and even why I am still putting my child into nursery every day. I visited every nursery in Aberdeen before returning to work and Hamilton was by far my favourite for many reasons. I find it extremely offensive that people would believe certain allegations and believe that parents would not be aware of this and would not take an active role in their children’s welfare for this to go unnoticed. It is not an easy decsion leaving your child with anyone but I have always been met with a loving and caring girl which my child happily goes to - for me this speaks volumes. It would be my strong viewpoint that we need to fight fire with fire and the messages which are dispayed in this forum should be publicised and accessible to the same forum of people who are accessing the 'boycott blog'. I completely agree that we should not be commenting on the 'boycott blog' but I do feel that this page should be in the public forum to the same extent.

I have been a Hamilton parent for more than 8 years. My two older daughters, now 16 and 14 respectively, have always been happy at the school and made good friends. When they first started they spoke very little English but after less than a year they were practically bilingual and very well settled. The teachers and Mrs Taylor were always very helpful and encouraging and the atmosphere in the school was warm and friendly . They are now both in secondary education and they are both doing very well, especially the eldest who was offered a place both at RG and Albyn. She chose Albyn and is doing very well, currently preparing for her Highers. She had no problems in settling in her new school both socially and academically, this also thanks to the confidence she gained during her four years at the Hamilton school. Now we have our little 5 year old daughter who has been attending The Hamilton school since she was 18 months old, so we experienced Early Years department as well, and apart for crying for the first couple of days (which is absolutely normal and would have happened anywhere else ) she has always been happy, confident and proud of her school, has made lovely friends and every day she tells me what she has done, what she had for lunch (apparently soup and macaroni cheese are out off this world!) and often have to wait quite a long time when I pick her up because there is always something very important that she has to finish! So three out of three confident, hard working happy girls! I rest my case.

I have thought a great deal before submitting this comment – not due to any concerns I have regarding the Hamilton School, but essentially because this is something that I generally don’t do. Somehow I think its seems a bit like “tit for tat” - however, it is important that the quieter Hamilton parents understand that they aren’t alone. My son has been with the Hamilton now for over 2 years. Previous to this, he had been at another nursery, but for numerous reasons (relating to the provider), we decided to transfer to the Hamilton. I have had very few dealings with Mrs Taylor, however, she and her team have always been polite and answered any questions etc that I have had. For me, this forum is about reassuring parents. Throughout this whole episode, the commonality that I have found is that parents are unsettled – but the predominant statement that we all share (from communications with parents), is that our children are happy at the Hamilton. My little boy loved the early years, the range of activities that are available are second to none and as a result, he still loves French, baking, music and outside play. The teachers and support assistants are also friendly and attentive, something I believe that both the children and the parents require. Communication logs are completed daily and there is also the avenue for parents to provide comments. I always leave comments within this book and the following day, there has always been a response. What really makes me smile, is when we are driving home after class, I find out all about what happened in class today, as well as the gossip! Don’t misunderstand however, the school is not perfect and has some issues, as do all schools / nurseries. Nothing in this world is perfect. As a parent, I work hard to ensure that my son has everything in life that I can possibly provide for him, education is a key element of this. I firmly believe that he would not be the independent, intelligent, confident little boy that he is now if it weren’t for the school and staff. One final thought, children are honest. If they were unhappy, as a parent – you would know about it. I know that my son loves his day as well as his friends and I am sure that I am not the only parent who knows this.

Delighted to see that parents and staff have now been given a platform to post their views of The Hamilton School after having repeatedly tried to post positive comments on the rogue website which have been removed immediately. I have been a staff member for a number of years at The Hamilton School and have been given nothing but support in my career in childcare. First and foremost it is the welfare of the children which comes first and is the most important part of my job and the most rewarding. Thank you to all of the parents in the school who share the care of their children with us and know that their precious children are in safe hands.

Firstly many thanks to the association for providing Parents a platform to comment. My wife and I have two children at the Hamilton school and intimately know both the early and primary department and we are very happy, as are our children. We speak to a very diverse spectrum of staff and parents during the course of a normal week and even some ex-staff on weekends. Of those we have spoken to they all are appalled and sickened by the accusations being levied against them, the School and Mrs Taylor. Lets face it the original URL of the “boycott” site was “destroy the Hamilton” and its pretty clear that’s the intent . If you have any doubts about the care of your child please speak to the staff ! The School and staff need our Support We believe we are both of average intelligence, we know the staff, we know the school and we know Mrs Taylor and we are staying. Maybe its time to fight fire with fire ? Proud Hamilton Parents

During my last 2 years of work at the Hamilton I have worked in all the departments. I have loved working with different ages and progressing my qualification. I know i am 1 of meny of the staff who are very upset about the allegations.

It is difficult to write without emotion about the Hamilton School, as I tend to view it as part of our family (and for the record, we are not family members!). However, as my purpose in writing this is to help other parents who may be having concerns about keeping their children at the School, I hope to give a balanced view of my own family’s “Hamilton Experience”. Overall, I can categorically state that I am satisfied that this is the best establishment for my child. I do not view myself as being blinkered in making that statement. Like all nurseries and schools, there are always areas for improvement. There will always be something that you don’t agree with. This is what every parent placing a child into nursery or school environment must cope with. No parent will ever believe that anyone can look after their children as well as mummy and daddy can! However, if (like me) you value the learning experience a child can gain from a nursery environment, or are considering what School you wish your child to attend, you need to accept that no place will be perfect! That said, I have always found the Hamilton School has high standards – I believe this to be a great plus. A side effect of that, I believe, is that there is a greater frequency in staff turnover. However, I am assured by this fact that Mrs Taylor and the School are ensuring that it is only the very best staff who are engaged to care for my child and that is what is most important to me. I also think it is worth commenting on the School’s ethos and policies – any parent placing their child in any School has to accept there will be policies and ways of doing things that won’t be entirely consistent with your own. This does not necessarily mean that they are wrong, sometimes just a different way of doing things. Personally, I love the tremendous family atmosphere of the Hamilton, the good manners that are encouraged in the children and I am supportive of many of the policies that the School has. Whilst not a teacher myself, I have taken time to understand and discuss many of the teaching theories of the School with qualified teachers (external to the School), and support the majority of them. It would be unusual not to have concerns in respect of some matters in connection with your child’s education and care. There have been occasions over the last 6 years that this has occurred for me and I have always been able to discuss these concerns with either Mrs Taylor or one of the Management Team. I have always found Mrs Taylor to be very approachable and easy to speak with, to the extent that I know we are all on the same team in deciding what is best for my child. I value her opinions and advice, albeit it may not always be what we expect! Whilst I hope this gives parents a balanced view of my experience of the School and accordingly reassurance about their own decision to join the Hamilton School, I cannot conclude without a little emotion. First and foremost I wish to state publically to Mrs Taylor that our family appreciate everything she has done for us throughout our time at the Hamilton. Her personal support in some difficult personal times has been invaluable to us. I am sickened by the ongoing vendetta against her and the School, and proud to support her and her loyal staff. Finally, my child would not be the person they are today had they not had their Hamilton Journey. My child is amazing, I am tremendously proud of them and all their achievements and so appreciative of the care they have had during these very important years of their life.

I work at the Hamilton School in the Reception department, I love my Job and our children. The "boycott" web-site is a disgrace and the comments in now way reflect the "real" Hamilton school. I am personally hurt and appauled that anyone would question my professionalism regarding any issue of child protection and those that have done hang your heads in shame. Proud to be Hamilton

I work in early years I love working at the Hamilton and all the children and parents. I honestly can't believe people have written so many bad things about us it is simply not true ! they should all be ashamed.

I would like to share my Hamilton School experience with you all..... During the time our family spent at The Hamilton School (this equates to a combined 16 years) , I can honestly say that I never once had any serious issue or concern, any small concerns was discussed and quickly dealt with. Mrs Taylor always made her self available to us and welcomed our thoughts. Mrs Taylor runs the school with very high standards and an underlying genuine care for each and everyone of the children that walk through the door of this school. My children still to this day (we are no longer parents of the school) hold Mrs Taylor with very high regard and still speak passionately about their happy times at the school. The Taylor family have worked with passion and utter commitment to this school, whilst providing not only an alternative choice for the children of Aberdeen but also as a valuable employer to the local community. I would therefore ask that we all stop and think about the current staff, parents and most importantly children of the school. I personally know some of the current parents and can assure you that they are well respected, caring , upstanding citizens who would not have their children placed in any situation that they felt of any risk. The children are rightly proud of their school and should not be exposed to such terrible rumours. If anyone has employment issues this should be challenged through the correct procedures and not in the public domain causing pain and upset to so many innocent bystanders. This is clearly a case of a disgruntled ex member of staff who does not see the damage that is being done......please, please think of the current and ex children of The Hamilton School. One should look at the number of children that have come through the school over the past 40 years with their happy memories. I therefore put on record our firm support to Mrs Taylor and her family and thank them for the support they gave to my children during our time at The Hamilton.

I have been made aware of some vague allegations about the Hamilton when my wife was there.... I have no idea what the allegations are, as the page seems extremely vague to me.... We all know that my wife thoroughly enjoyed working with you all, and I can't think of any other employer who could have, or even would have done more than Mrs Taylor did for her. Also, be sure to know that both our children look upon their time at the Hamilton with fond memories and are still in regular contact with the friends that they made during their time there..... hardly a poor environment!

I am shocked and appalled that anyone could be so immature as to do this. Words fail me. Bemused is an appropriate word…..

You have my sympathy as do all your lovely staff. As ever, you have my moral support!

I hope that you do not take the rogue website personally, though understand that this would be very difficult for you to do so. We the parents also feel your obvious distress and embarrassment at this, however, rest assured that I have every confidence that our daughter is well cared for and hope that you are able to resolve this expediently and with minimal distress to you, your family and The Hamilton School's wonderful staff.

I have found you all nothing but helpful, kind, welcoming and caring, all that I hold dearest in those I entrust my child with.

We have discussed this at length at home. Our daughter has attended The Hamilton School for around six months in a part time basis. She loves her four sessions per week.

Both of us have entered school at random times to collect and drop off and are more than comfortable in stating we have seen nothing which as parents or indeed as responsible adults which has worried us, neither about the care of our child nor anyone else's. If we had concerns we would have reacted in an appropriate manor.

We have been flabbergasted at how supposed responsible careers of children deem it necessary to post their attacks and negativity in this way. There are as we all know many safe guards in place not just for the protection of children but also for employees, if they were that badly treated then they could have explored industrial tribunals. However to bring the children in to this publicly shows absolutely no regard for their feelings.

We do have children at another private school and have to say that we are comfortable that there are numerous disgruntled former employees at all schools but fortunately they have not chosen to go down the route of courting publicity.

Perhaps the disgruntled former employees should show some dignity and stop this hate campaign, take down their website and if they want to take action do it through the appropriate channels.

Please always put children first

I am really saddened with what is going on and would do anything to support The Hamilton Family, as I have been a big beneficiary of the school training/care for children.

I assure you of our support.

I have personally enjoyed the Hamilton, and My Children have had a wonderful stay in the Hamilton School.

As a current member of staff reading all of these stories has made it a tough week. However, as usual the Hamilton staff are pulling through in order to continue providing an outstanding level of care. I feel that there has been a massive personal attack on Kathlyn Taylor and her family. admittedly it is not the easiest place to work. BUT! working in childcare isn't easy no matter where you go! We are all here because we are passionate about our work and over the last few years I have received a huge amount of support from Kathlyn Taylor and her family and I am extremely grateful!

My daughter attended The Hamilton School from ages 3 to 7. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we moved her to another private school in Aberdeen. Mrs Taylor counselled us at the time not to move her and that she would be lost at the school. We did not take Mrs Taylor’s advice, and we were proved very wrong.

My daughter loved the Hamilton school. She was happy, learned well and every day was full of joy going to school. At her new school her behaviour and table manners declined, she became a mediocre student and really came to hate going to school.

Last year we relocated abroad and my child now attends a school which in many ways reminds us of The Hamilton (although my daughter says it’s still second best to the Hamilton!). She is so happy at school again and is making straight A’s!

I just wanted to send my support to Mrs Taylor and the school. My daughter had a wonderful time at the Hamilton School and I am dismayed to see what is happening in Aberdeen. I just cannot believe such a thing would be allowed to occur. It must be very hard for Mrs Taylor and her family and I just wanted everyone to know, that we are supporting Mrs Taylor and the school and thinking of you all during this difficult time.

My son and my daughter have been in the sound care of Hamilton School for quite some years now- 8 years for my daughter and 4 years for my son. They love their school and have so much to tell us in the evening about school that its difficult to put them to bed! They love their homework- I couldn't believe it for the first year my daughter took responsibility of her homework! These are some of the important cues to us as parents about how happy our children are at the school. Over the years, we have had some issues every now and then- which are true in any practical world. We then looked at those issues from various perspectives before taking our decisions as to how to deal with them i.e whether to take it up with our child/ the class teacher/Mrs Taylor. I must admit that as a Mum, I have panicked quite a few times, seeing movement/turnover of staff and children but it has always been me in the family- both my children and the calm Dad have not been moved by it so much. We appreciate that our children are familiar with the Principal's style of management/teaching in the school and Principal's role is not mainly strategic. This is quite uncommon for a school and we feel it has had a positive impact on our children. We are proud that our children are going to the Hamilton school.

I feel sorry for Mrs Taylor and her team going through this turbulence period. I am sure and confident, you will all overcome this soon. It is disgrace from the hacker.

I wanted to tell you my son’s experience at the Hamilton School.

He always enjoys his time in school and we have not come across any untoward incidents in the last 12 months. In fact this school was strongly recommended by my friends.

So I hope your team come over it soon.

I am so shocked at the allegations, my initial reaction is try to think of all the good you have done. There are always going to be silly people who only want to hurt and try to get 'revenge' in their sad way. Rise above it we all love Hamilton and the great times our children have in your care.

Can I just say how sorry I am to hear of what is being said about The Hamilton School. As I stated back in July to Mrs Taylor - my family judge on what we see. My daughter loves getting up every day knowing that she is going to school, and her experience at nursery and school has been full of enjoyment.

I am not party to these media sites for this simple reason. Please continue to grow strong from this experience and those involved hopefully will get what is coming to them.

My family and I will continue to support The Hamilton School.

What these people have obviously also failed to take in to consideration is that by attacking the school in such a public forum they are potentially exposing the children to hurtful comments outside of the school and are therefore complicit in inciting bullying behaviour. Unbelievable stupidity and short sightedness of people whom were obviously and scarily, still are, pursuing a career in the development of young children.

I absolutely stand by this statement, whilst I am obviously, as a parent, concerned over recent events. However ,I am adamant that I will remain pragmatic and await the findings of the appropriate authorities to the claims being made. I have always said, even to friends of children whom have left the school, that I respect their decisions but that my own experience has been positive and that my children enjoy attending the school and indeed my daughter whom was a very ‘clingy’ child, within weeks of attending, put her arms out to the caring girls / team on her floor when she arrived in the morning and still does 7 months on. I very much value the care given by the staff in the nursery rooms and really felt for them on Monday morning. I very much hope this investigation is concluded quickly to a positive outcome, and if improvement notices are given that they are simply accepted and applied.

We have two children attending Hamilton nursery and are absolutely delighted with the care that they receive. The staff are amazing and we are very, very fond of them all. We are so proud of our children. They are both caring, funny, clever, well mannored and most importantly happy. We put this down to both the exceptional care and attention they receive at home and of course, nursery. We have so much to thank Hamilton staff for. They are our extended family. Never for a second have we doubted that our children are safe in your hands and we would not dream of removing them from your care. When people have asked us what we think of the situation this week we only have one answer. Hamilton is FANTASTIC!

Firstly, I would like to thank all our school families who have shown their continued support and confidence in The Hamilton School over the past few days. Having worked at the Hamilton School for many enjoyable years, I was disgusted at the comments on these malicious sites, they have the sole purpose of encouraging foul remarks towards the School and its staff. Very few positive reviews have made it onto the site with each comment firstly having to go through the site author's vetting! Thankfully, with this forum, we can now show the great side of The Hamilton! Over the years, The Hamilton has been a major contribution of my personal and professional development. Finally, I would like to greatly thank the School for the years I have been part of the team and look forward to many more!

I would like to take this opportunity to say how appalled and upset I am by the content of the 'boycott the Hamilton School' I have worked for Mrs Taylor for 18 years and support her and the school 110%. As Mrs Taylor admitted in her personal statement she is a strict disciplinarian who does expect high standards, why is she like this? It is because Mrs Taylor is passionate about every child she meets and committed to ensuring that each child receives the best care, love and education in her school. I would also like to comment on staff training, the training opportunities for ALL staff at the school is the best ever, yes we attended training on a Wednesday evening, yes we would have reading and research to do, this opportunity is to create knowledgeable staff who would be able to create a stimulating environment- why did Mrs Taylor gives us so much extra work? It is because Mrs Taylor is passionate about every child she meets and committed to ensuring that each child receives the best care, love and education in her school! I would also like to comment not only on the professional support given by Mrs Taylor and her family but of the personal support she has given myself and many of the other staff who have commented negatively. Kathlyn has supported a number of staff through very difficult personal times. I have had 18 years personal support from growing up through my teenage years and all the trouble that came with that (I was 16 when I started and full of attitude!) through to the support she gave over 7 years during the long illness of my best friend and colleague. Kathlyn help to support her two very young children by ensuring that they were able to see their mother as often as possible, she helped me cope with difficult times such as the house being broken into and I was on my own with two very scared children whose mother was extremely Ill, gathering things I needed for the house, regular hospital visits and even a spot of babysitting! I could go on and on but I would hope that people will see how kind, supportive and passionate Mrs Taylor and her family are. I would like to add that I am no longer at The Hamilton, this decision was not an easy one to make but due to personal circumstances I needed to make it. As I stated at the start I am still supportive of Mrs Taylor and the school and always will be. If it were not for Kathlyn I would not have achieved all that I have! The last thing I would like to say (I could go on all night!) is You can take the girl out of The Hamilton but you can't take The Hamilton out of the girl! I support you all! X

Our daughter has been in the Hamilton's Nursery/Reception for 1.5 years. There was not a day when she did not want to go to school-she loves it. In fact on several occasions she did not want to go home. She tells me what she does and what she eats on a daily basis and we are very pleased with the care she's been receiving. The school is spotless and, as far as I can remember, there has not been a single health concerning outbreak. The teachers are caring and seem to be quite content with their workplace. So, from a parent prospective, the School is taking a very good care of our child and, what's most important, keeps her safe at all times. Thank you.

So a somewhat convoluted way of saying we value and appreciate the school and all those who work there.

It has been a difficult day for all. You have my support.

It says a great deal about the people who set up this web site that they apparently care little about the parents and children that remain at the Hamilton. If I had any concern (legitimate) then I would simply remove my son and relocate to another school. I wouldn't attempt to inflict maximum disruption to those who choose to remain as seems to be the aim here.

It is very disappointing to see all the rage against the school. I saw the website and a scanned through what was written but decided in few minutes that I should not read more. It was clearly showing lack of professionalism and the objective of it is definitely not seeking what is best for our children.

Since we came in 2011, The Hamilton School was recommended by Shell and noted as a well established private education organization in the city. After two years experiencing the tangible results in our three children, I can only agree with Shell statement. For that we will support the school in these difficult times so please let us know if you need any help from us.

We just wanted to send you a short message of support during this difficult time. I was made aware of the “blog” that exists and read with utter disbelief the comments made by a clearly very bitter ex employee. I support your comments and observations 100% on the fragility of someone’s reputation by one sided and often vicious trial by social media.

We could not have been happier with the care, education and love given to our children for 7 happy years. I’m no expert but I doubt they could have received a better start to their education anywhere and for that we thank you and everyone at The Hamilton. I only have to see the reaction both girls have when they meet you or any of the staff outside school during the many impromptu meetings in town or at Sainsburys. They evidently think the world of you personally and children are no good at hiding their true feelings! As far as the snide remarks regarding the catering go I’ll quite happily challenge anyone who criticizes quality or quantity provided to the children. On many occasions I arrived early to collect the girls and I was welcomed into the dining room where it was plain to me that all the children loved the food given to them.

You and your staff also taught simple good manners which our girls took with them outside of school. Some may see this as fussy or strict but I disagree and would endorse your methods wholeheartedly.

We trust and hope that you can maintain the good name of The Hamilton despite the unfair and very personal criticism. Please pass our best wishes to Mr Taylor and all the staff.

We wish to offer our support as ex parents of The Hamilton School at this difficult time for the School and your family.

Our 3 children flourished into responsible and caring children and were always extremely happy during their time at the school and nursery , so much so, not one of them wanted to move. I can honestly say I never once questioned the level of care given to them.

Please be assured to anyone who knows the school, this is an obvious case of a disgruntled employee and I am sure this will come to light.

Stay strong

I feel very sad that this situation has arisen and for the distress it must be causing you and the wider family of the school. Dinosaur that I am, I do not use social media websites and I don't encourage my son to either (at this age). I feel fortunate, therefore, that I have absolutely no idea of what has been said on Facebook and neither do I wish to know. I do understand the serious nature of the allegations made and I just want you to know that you have my full support and that if there is anything I can do, please let me know. Warmest wishes, Proud to be a Hamilton Parent

For what it’s worth, and I do not mind if you share this publicly, we could not have been happier with the care, education and love given to our two children for 7 happy years. I’m no expert but I doubt they could have received a better start to their education anywhere and for that we thank you and everyone at The Hamilton. I only have to see the reaction both girls have when they meet you or any of the staff outside school during the many impromptu meetings in town or at Sainsburys. They evidently think the world of you personally and children are no good at hiding their true feelings! As far as the snide remarks regarding the catering go I’ll quite happily challenge anyone who criticizes quality or quantity provided to the children. On many occasions I arrived early to collect the girls and I was welcomed into the dining room where it was plain to me that all the children loved the food given to them.

You and your staff also taught simple good manners which our girls took with them outside of school. Some may see this as fussy or strict but I disagree and would endorse your methods wholeheartedly.

We trust and hope that you can maintain the good name of The Hamilton despite the unfair and very personal criticism. Please pass our best wishes to Mr Taylor and all the staff.

Just wanted to say you have our support in all this. Our son had a very happy five years with you and we were delighted when he was awarded a scholarship at ablerlour house. He went on to Glenalmond, got 10 gcses ( including an early a* in maths ) and is now second year chem eng at queens Belfast and loving it. He still reads whenever he has the time - I and has done since Hamilton days when he was allowed to move at his pace not that of the slowest reader

We felt we had to write to express our disgust and utter annoyance at the contents of the website. We do not subscribe to face book or any other similar media sites but were made aware of the "article" through a friend. We can't believe that any sensible person would accept the nonsense and drivel written there as anything other than malicious rubbish, however, it's still very upsetting to read and so sad to realise there are twisted individuals out there.
We wanted to let you know that you have our total support.

I just wanted to express my support for what you are all going through at the moment. It's not deserved and it's nothing other than hate and bullying. To put it into context these people are pronouncing themselves to be so righteous in stating their case, however they are nothing other than vindictive bullies - something that we all bend over backwards to teach our children not to be. What role models are they as parents in the future if this is how they behave themselves and indeed as former staff you are better off without these personalities.

Stay strong, you will get through this and those who know the school will understand the petty and pathetic injustice of it all.

It is appalling that people think they can say what they like publicly.I know you are a very strong character and will rise above this distasteful situation. I have no hesitation in telling people how kind and business like you are. I know you will have the love and support of your family as well.

I hadn't realized you had fallen victim to the narrow minded-ness of some aberdeen parents. The web page is ridiculous made by people who have too much time on their hands.I am sure you have the best legal team and the support of your family and staff. I learned a lot when I worked at the Hamilton and won't ever believe any of the nonsense bitter people are spouting. I just wanted to send a message of support.Stay strong

Our hurt as now turned to anger, the whole thing is appalling, keep your head held high.

I have only just received the email and I am deeply saddened by it all. It is vile and disgusting as you said yourself. I know you will be extremely upset and hurt by these allegations, as you work so very hard to ensure the best for everyone. You have helped myself and my family so much over the past year and for that you know I am very grateful. It is now my turn to return the favour, you have my full support.

We would like to say we have always been very happy with the standard of care at the Hamilton school- it is one of the reasons that our children are hopefully developing into decent human beings. In particular I valued the support when one of our children had health issues, which was one of the most stressful things I have went through (and I worked in a prison social work unit for several years). The children are both happy and settled. Given the somewhat rocky start our child had in p1, staff have been superbly patient and very nurturing with him and have been consistently kind and respectful of them as a person.
So a somewhat convoluted way of saying we value and appreciate the school and all those who work there.

Our son has been at the Hamilton since he was 9 mths old and we have not seen anything like the allegations that have been made. Our son is a happy little boy who eagerly looks forward to going to school every day. His is progressing extremely well, far better that I would have expected for a boy his age. We fully support you, your family and the Hamilton school, and I know other parents who have exactly the same feelings. I am so sorry that this is happening - I can only imagine how upsetting it must be for you, and if there is any way that we, as supportive parents, can help to spread the GOOD word, please let me know.

I don't think many of us support these sites; in fact are personally disgusted with this action by some individuals that is totally our of order. You have my personal support.

Best not replying or responding too much to these taunts as you never know which parents subscribe to this nonsense and which parents don't. We personally have disassociated from the various web forums that seemed to become hijacked by one or two disgruntled people. If I was unhappy then our son would be a a different school. You are of course free to do as you wish, however my advice would be to only respond briefly and factually and (try, but I understand why it is hard not to be miffed) try to be un emotional as you never know where these emails end up. People will do spiteful and silly things. Best to rise above it. Our son is happy at your school and that is all I need to see. I would be surprised if many of the other parents thought differently with respect to their children?

If they had any concerns there are appropriate channels they should have gone through rather than choosing to take this course of action, and I am sure the most effective of which would have been to address these concerns to yourself in the first place.
I was directed to this site just moments before your email by my partner who had noticed it "trending" on Facebook, where a page by the same name has also been set up.
Though I am sure you are aware of this by now, my own experiences have taught me to assume little.
I hope that you do not take this website personally, though understand that this would be very difficult for you to do so. We the parents also feel your obvious distress and embarrassment at this, however, rest assured that I have every confidence that our daughter is well cared for and hope that you are able to resolve this expediently and with minimal distress to you, your family and The Hamilton School's wonderful staff.

I have found you all nothing but helpful, kind, welcoming and caring, all that I hold dearest in those I entrust my child with.

We felt we had to write to express our disgust and utter annoyance at the contents of the ‘boycott’ website. We do not subscribe to facebook or any other similar media sites but were made aware of the "article" through a friend, prior to your email. We can't believe that any sensible person would accept the nonsense and drivel written there as anything other than malicious rubbish, however, it's still very upsetting to read and so sad to realise there are twisted individuals out there. We wanted to let you know that you have our total support and if we can help in anyway, please do not hesitate to let us know. We also like to add that we truly appreciate and thank all the teachers and staff at the Hamilton for the support, love and care they have given our family over the years.

Having worked for some time at The Hamilton, I should like to offer my support to Mrs Taylor and School. Over time, I have come to recognise Mrs Taylor as an enlightening pedagogue, a supportive employer, a motivational colleague, and, hopefully, friend. The biggest difference between The Hamilton School and other establishments, in which I have worked, is that our children come first! The needs of each Hamilton child should be met and each child should be encouraged to work hard, achieve well and be happy, sociable, polite and responsible young citizens. My family are all very "Hamilton" and I should recommend our School to everyone. I should also like to thank all my colleagues and our School Parents for the support shown over the past week.

I worked at The Hamilton School a few years ago for just over a year and reading all ex-employee's experience's on the online blog made me quite sad. Although I did have some bad experiences myself (which everyone does in their work place at some point), I haven't let that spoil all the good experiences and everything that I learnt whilst working there, I still to this day miss working at The Hamilton. I personally enjoyed working at the school and feel that all the children were cared for the way that they were expected to be cared for. Staff and/or former parents who feel differently to myself should of went through the right procedures instead of airing all their negative views on the internet!

I have not worked at The Hamilton School for very long and I feel that the recent comments that have been made are totally unfair and unnecessary. The health and happiness of the children in the school is top priority to all staff and that is why the school has been so successful for so many years. The support that parents and staff have shown the school has been overwhelming and it makes me proud to work at the Hamilton!

We have been associated with the Hamilton School for thirteen years now and throughout this time we have had nothing but positive experiences with the school. We have had two children who have attended the school initially in nursery and subsequently progressed to the primary. Our eldest child left Hamilton at the end of primary seven, gaining entry to their secondary school of choice; our youngest child is still in the primary school. The academic standards that are delivered by the very committed teachers that we have known throughout this period are of a very high quality that has let both our children fulfill not only their academic potential but also grow as happy and confident individuals. This has been achieved through a willingness to encourage the children to stretch themselves in terms of their academic achievement throughout the curriculum. We have a family member who is a primary teacher in another part of the UK who continually comments on the high level of academic achievement that our children had achieved throughout their time at Hamilton, particularly in maths and English. Beyond the academic experience the extracurricular experiences available to the children such as the annual trips to Craigower, or visits to local attractions such as the Theatre or Satrosphere, and even the annual outing to the pantomime all add to this education experience. Like many families at the Hamilton School we are not from Aberdeen and live away from our extended family and friends. At times of adversity Mrs Taylor and her staff have been a huge support to us. This was illustrated when one of us developed a chronic illness that required surgery and resulted in a significant period where they were incapacitated. During this time Mrs Taylor and the teachers across the school took time to ensure the potential distress to our children was minimised and provided support to our whole family without which we would have struggled to cope. We could list many other examples of how we have benefited from the caring nature and high standards of care provided by Mrs Taylor and her staff. Indeed on several occasions help has been offered to us without even having to ask for it. This is well illustrated by the example of when one our children fell and sustained a broken arm (this happened at home, not at school). We informed the school what had happened and when we arrived at school the following Monday morning we were taken to the school office and informed of a an array of support systems that were being put in place for our child. These included the constant presence of a chaperone, particularly in the playground, to ensure no further damage to the broken limb, and support in the class room to ensure that our child could continue to learn alongside the other children despite not being able to write. We were so delighted with this course of action and even more so because we hadn’t even had to ask for it. Mrs Taylor is a Principal who demands high standards of work and dedication from her staff. This is something that we as parents find very reassuring about the school as we know that the staff looking after and teaching our children are of the highest possible calibre. To conclude we have always found the Hamilton School to be a happy, constructive, academically challenging environment for our children, staffed by very committed and capable primary and nursery teachers and wider support staff.

I have worked at the Hamilton School for nearly two years now and felt saddened and personally hurt by the comments that have been made lately. The support that we have all received from parents and staff, both currently at the school and who have left, has been amazing and truly heartwarming. It just goes to show that in our time of need, we can all come together to try and overcome these horrible moments.

Firstly i will apologise in advance if this email gets a bit long but it is a very emotional thing to write as its from the heart.
As parents our key objective was to ensure that we picked a nursery/school that gave our children a happy and positive experience and place where they felt included.
We looked at many nurseries in Aberdeen and observed many things. I even sent my mum and sister to look at our short list of nurseries and Hamilton was the one that ticked all the boxes.
We wanted our child and later children to have a nice modern building, which was fresh and clean with a safe outside playing area and most importantly we wanted our children to be party of a family ethos.
I can confirm we are ...we are party of The Hamilton Family
Going back to work after having a baby is a difficult thing but needs must. I have to say that the staff and the school made it so easy. I got calls on the way to work to say they had settled which is reassuring as you do not want the stress at work.
It got to the stage where our child was giggling and jumping in excitement when we got to the school door and big open arms out to the Staff member who greeted them in Uist. This is a lovely thing to witness as you know that your child is loved and happy.
The school took the time to get to know us as parents and most importantly to know our children.
It is lovely to walk into the building to have all staff know your children's names and the children to know each other from Early Years to Primary.
Our children have been at Hamilton for 5 years now and have had experiences in Early Years and primary.
As a parent our most important role is to ensure our children's happiness and education. We would not be at the school if they were not happy.
Trust me they are happy ... They get excited every morning as we get ready for school ... In fact I think if the school was open at weekends they would want to come in.
When away on holiday they ask how many sleeps till we go back to nursey/school... I often thought it was because they were counting the days of our fun holidays but no...they missed their nursery/school and their friends.
After a busy day at work it is so funny to get the comment of "oh mum /dad you are early we wanted to stay" . Our drive home is great as we use the time to talk about their day.
We have had minor issues at nursery / school in the past re biting and bullying ... but what nursery or school doesn't.
It is something that happens everywhere and as a school and as parents we all work together to resolve it.
I was told when my child got bitten and we took the time with the children to discuss the issue and explain why it is wrong and it got resolved.
As for the bullying it was handled excellently by the teachers, Mrs Taylor and the children. The whole class got taught to think about how you would feel if being bullied and why bully. The children soon realised and it stopped.
As a first time parent you don't have a clue about toilet training and I love the toilet buddy system where one of the slightly older children in the class would go to the bathroom and the younger ones would go and try.
It really works I was so impressed that by 18 /24 months the children where trained. Thank you.
We have always received feedback for the children's day when they were in early years.
I must say that the new system that is in Skye with the communication book (like they use in Reception and Primary) is excellent. It means if dad picks up I can see what my child has been doing that day.
It is a two way street both the school and the parents have to be involved in the development of our children. If we do that we end up with wonderful children.
In the last 5 years we have seen our children turn from babies into lovely children that are polite, caring, fun and confident and this is through the joint effort of us as parents and The Hamilton School.
We are often praised at restaurants both on holiday and at home about their fantastic behaviour when out.
This makes us so proud of our children but also proud of the staff and The Hamilton School. We should be proud as these little people are the future and with these qualities being learnt they will do well in life.
My parents have often said to me and my brother and sisters that first impressions count and it is true.
From the moment we walked into The Hamilton School we knew we where party of the family and our children would settle in and become the great children that they are today.
Thank you to The Hamilton School, Mrs Taylor and the Staff present and past you have helped us so much and helped our children and long may it continue.
A proud Hamilton Family.
XX

My two girls have been in the school for a combined period of 4 years and I am very satisfied with the academic level of my older girl and level of care of my younger one.
My Older daughter has always had qualified teachers every year and though some have gone but they have been replaced with equally qualified ones, in fact I am very pleased with her present teacher and her level of academic expertise coupled with her relationship with the children.
I do not regret bringing my children to the Hamilton school and this has shown in their confidence and ability to grasp and discuss intelligiently with their peers from other institutions.

Hello, It has indeed been a trying period for school. It is quite unfortunate that people who can not put a name to their statement especially if they are statements that can have a major impact on people's lives are being tolerated and entertained. All we want to say is our children are very happy in the school and the staff are wonderful . Hamilton is like an extended family, and it is unfortunate this is happening . Hopefully we will start the next month without anymore hassles. PROUD TO BE A HAMILTON PARENT.

My daughter attended The Hamilton School from age 18 months to almost 5 years. She loved her time there and used to cheer every day when we arrived in the carpark...."yay school today!". I have heard of the negative stories but this does not change the fact my daughter was happy there. I applied for her younger sister to attend, after my eldest daughter had left, but there were no spaces. My eldest attends another school but is still very close to the friends she made at Hamilton.

I worked at the Hamilton School before becoming a teacher. I found the environment challenging and learned a lot from the experience. The expectations were very high, the staff were friendly and supportive. After completing my initial teacher training I completed a training course delivered by Children's House, this was also delivered to a very high standard. My time at the Hamilton school was rewarding and the parents I came across were pleased with the work of the school and staff.

Saddened to hear of what sounds like a witch hunt at the school. Our kids were there for 11 years between them from 2001-2008 and left as happy, well adjusted human beings. It was a wrench to leave the school, but a great start to their life for both of them and they have both gone on to thrive in a completely different educational system. Keep fighting, use whatever comes out in a positive manner to better the school - we're behind you!

COME ON TEAM HAMILTON!!!!!! The lessons we learn from an early age help to shape us as adults, help us to grow into well rounded individuals with values, respect for ourselves and others and to form the moral compass which will guide us. I have the greatest admiration for the staff of the Hamilon, and more importantly, Mrs Taylor, who have guided many a pupil to adopt such values and who will undoubtedly go on to achieve great success in life. I was only there a short while, but I still have the memories of a happy place, where everyone pulled together for the greater good, one of success. I wish you all well and GO GO GO TEAM HAMILTON......