Pre-school | Primary School | Secondary School | Higher and Further Education | Other Gaelic education initiatives
In Gaelic-medium education Gaelic is the language of teaching and learning in the classroom. It is available to children who are fluent in Gaelic upon entering school and for those with no previous experience in the language. Gaelic-medium is available in the pre-school, primary-school, secondary school and in the further and higher education sectors.
Pre-school Gaelic-medium provision differs across the different authorities in Scotland.
Some areas have 'Pàrant agus Pàiste' parent-and-toddler groups, which are usually run by a volunteer committee and may employ a play-leader.
'Cròileagan' play-groups are again run by volunteer committees but most employ one or more play-leaders. Parents are welcome to sit-in in some groups but not in others and in some areas 'Cròileagan' groups take the place of nursery provision.
Council-run nursery provision is available
in some areas and may or may not be attached to the school
or schools in which the authority offers Gaelic-medium primary
education.
Gaelic-medium education in the primary school educates children in the full Scottish curriculum. Gaelic is the only language in the classroom for the first two years (sometimes know as the 'immersion phase') and increasing levels of English are introduced from primary three up to primary seven, when children are taught half in Gaelic and half in English and should be equally fluent in both languages, or 'bilingual'.
In most instances Gaelic-medium education is delivered alongside English-medium education. This means that few children are entirely 'immersed' in Gaelic as English tends to be the language of the play-ground, dining-room and administration areas. Glasgow and Stoneybridge in South Uist have Gaelic-only schools and Inverness will soon follow suit.
You should note that most Gaelic-medium
schools require that children enter at primary one and two
and will not accept enrolments later than that stage, unless
children are already fluent in Gaelic.
Most Gaelic-medium primary schools and
units feed into secondary schools which offer Gaelic-language
tuition for fluent speakers. The Scottish Qualifications Authority offers Gaelic-language examinations in a range of subjects
including maths, geography and history and several schools
offer Gaelic-medium tuition in these subjects. The Glasgow
Gaelic School which opened in August 2006 will offer tuition
in all secondary subjects through Gaelic and other schools
will benefit from the new qualifications and resources on
offer. The potential of IT to deliver tuition remotely is
also being explored at the present time.
The different colleges of the University
of the Highlands and Islands offer a range of courses, both
academic and vocational, through the medium of Gaelic and
intake has risen steadily over the past few years. Glasgow, Edinburgh and Aberdeen universities also offer Gaelic degrees
with elements of Gaelic-medium tuition, and students can combine
these courses with other subjects for joint degrees.
Other Gaelic education initiatives
GLPS
The GLPS, or Gaelic Language in the Primary School, offers an introduction to Gaelic for children not being educated through the medium of Gaelic. This course is delivered by a teacher who has undergone a twenty-week tuition programme and has proved popular with pupils. The course will not result in fluency but will raise awareness of and interest in Gaelic as well as teaching basic phrases.
Learners' courses in the Secondary School
Gaelic language and literature can be studied
at two different levels in the secondary school - 'native
speakers' (studied by children educated in Gaelic-medium)
and 'learners'. Learners' courses, like GLPS tuition, will
not result in full fluency but will raise awareness of and
interest in Gaelic and provide a platform upon which children
can build once they leave school.