Harmeny Education Trust

Today, on International Day of Play, we’re reminded why protecting play means protecting childhood.

For all children play is essential - helping build confidence, unlock creativity, develop friendships and form the foundations for learning.

You can give the gift of play this summer by supporting our Play Appeal. Your donations will create therapeutic play and activity spaces where children and young people who have experienced early years trauma can socialise, relax and thrive.

Find out more: https://harmeny.org.uk/playappeal/

🚴‍♂️We're hugely excited to welcoming around 100 young people to Harmeny tomorrow (Wednesday 10th June) for the Edinburgh Schools Mountain Bike Championship! 🚴‍♂️

Organised by the fantastic Edinburgh RC this grass roots cycling event aims to introduceschools to MTB racing and offers a gateway to the Scottish Championship at Comrie Croft in September.

This will be the second year we have hosted the event and we can't wait to see how all the young people do as they take on our mountain bike track around our estate.

As we come to the end of we'd like to recognise the achievements of Harmeny's longest serving volunteer, Ron Smith, who retired from his woodwork instructor role in April.

For 40 years, Ron has dedicated his time, skills and kindness to supporting generations of young people at Harmeny.

From one-to-one woodwork sessions to helping raise millions for vital developments, Ron’s impact on the Harmeny community has been extraordinary. His work has always been about more than practical skills, it’s been about creativity, confidence, care and connection.

Thank you, Ron, for everything you have given over the decades. 💙

Read more about Ron’s remarkable journey and the legacy he leaves here: https://harmeny.org.uk/ron-smith-40-years-of-volunteering/

Come join our team!
Could you help provide young people with the secure base they need to engage with their learning and unlock their potential? 🏆

We’re looking for Education Support Workers and Social Educators to join our team and help get the new school year off to a great start. ✏️📚

If you are passionate about the power of learning, calm under pressure and have a flexible approach that puts the needs of pupils at the centre of everything you do we’d love to hear from you. 💛

You can find out more about what it is like to work at Harmeny within our school below.

For more information about the roles available please see the comments. Deadline for applications is Friday 12 June.

Harmeny Interview with Ruth Ruth discusses her time at Harmeny and talks more about working as ...

Our lovely volunteers from NatWest property services and the High Constables put in some incredibly hard work last week helping to build our new multi bay compost system. A physically demanding task involving shifting large, heavy concrete slats into place, their help enabled us to get the job done in two days rather than two weeks without them! 💪

The composting system is essential for our large community garden and estate, enabling us to manage large quantities of organic waste. Giving us compost for better soil health as well as cost & environmental savings! 🌱🪱🌎

Fabulous teamwork and a brilliant job done - huge thanks to all! 🙏

💛 We’re hiring at Harmeny Education Trust 💛

We’re looking for two Cleaning Operatives to join our friendly Catering and Domestic team and help us maintain a safe, clean and caring environment for the children and young people we support.

📍 Balerno, Edinburgh
🕒 Part-time, Monday–Friday, 7am–12:30pm

We’d love to hear from you!

Find out more and apply via the job section in our website.

📅 Closing date: 12 June 2026

Our Summer Newsletter has landed 👀

Find out more about our Play Appeal, plus updates on our new bushcraft area, abseil challenge and community news.

Thank you for continuing to support our children and young people every step of the way!

See comments for link to the newsletter. 👇

Something exciting is coming soon 👀

Our next Harmeny newsletter will be landing in just a few days, featuring all the details about our new Play Appeal, alongside the latest updates from across Harmeny. 📧

We only send a few newsletters each year, so you’ll receive meaningful updates without filling up your inbox💚

If you’d like to be among the first to hear what’s coming next, and discover new ways you can help children and young people thrive, sign up today!🪁

What a day we had at the Distillery Abseil on Sunday 10 May! Abseiling 131ft from the rooftop of the Port of Leith Distillery with incredible views across Edinburgh! 🧗

Thank you to our brave volunteers and everyone who sponsored them. The team are on track to raise £3,000 and these donations will fund new and revamped play and activity areas at Harmeny where our children and young people can develop motor and sensory skills, fuel their curiosity, and take time out to relax and build friendships. 🌳🧡

There’s still time to support the challenge — visit our website to read the full story and learn more about our Play Appeal. 👇