Factfile - Community
Education
Gaelic Education
Both Gaelic and English are used in the delivery of the curriculum in accordance with the Comhairle's Gaelic Policy. The aim of the Gaelic Policy is “to enable children who go through Gaelic Medium Education to become equally literate and fluent in the use of Gaelic and English and to make provision for all other children to have access to Gaelic in the curriculum.” There are Gaelic Medium classes within 24 Primary Schools throughout the Islands. One school, Stoneybridge in South Uist offers only Gaelic Medium education in P1 and 2. Gaelic Medium Education in the Western Isles consists of an initial two-year immersion phase (P1 and P2) in Gaelic, with a gradual move towards bilingual education thereafter. Further information can be accessed through the Comhairle website.
All pupils study Gaelic, in addition to English and French, in the first 2 years of secondary education. In S3 and S4 pupils are required to study Gaelic, French or German, and some schools afford pupils the opportunity of studying two languages. The possibility of studying three languages is available in one school, which also offers Spanish in S5. Pupils follow either the Gaidhlig course or the Gaelic Learners Course. Gaelic-medium teaching is expanding in other areas of the curriculum such as Social Subjects, Home Economics, Technical Education, Mathematics and Art. Currently 4 schools offer Gaelic Medium Education but this number will increase to cater for more pupils coming from Gaelic Medium Units in primary schools.
