How good are we at ensuring the best learner outcomes in raising attainment and achievements?

Most children and young people’s progress, attainment and achievements are positive. However, there are too many young people leaving Gàidhlig Medium Education at transition points who do not have awards and qualifications through the medium of Gàidhlig.

Interrogating data on Gàidhlig and Gaelic (Learners)

Senior leaders need better access to attainment data to know how well children and young people are attaining in literacy and Gàidhlig, Gaelic (Learners) and Gàidhlig Medium subjects. Senior leaders’ access to quality data should enable them to see how well they are performing within their local authority, national and against their virtual Gàidhlig comparator.

Children’s progress in sgoiltean-àraich

Overall, in sgoiltean àraich, children are making good progress in acquiring fluency in Gàidhlig communication and early language skills. Children quickly understand a range of Gàidhlig used in play contexts and for real purposes, such as grèim bidhe - snack time. Children develop well their understanding and use of Gàidhlig in group activities that focus on singing, telling rhymes and stories, and role-play. There is improving practice in children’s use of Gàidhlig when practitioners are clear on their important role for high-quality, regular interactions. 

In the most effective practice, children’s progress in early numeracy and mathematics through immersion in Gàidhlig is good. Children apply their knowledge of number when talking about cost from role-plays in shops and cafès. Most children develop well their mathematical language. 

In sgoiltean where 1140 hours of childcare and high-quality total immersion learning is provided, through the medium of Gàidhlig, children’s progress in learning is accelerated. This gives children a positive start to their fluency and early level of CfE subjects and curriculum areas. Too many children still do not benefit from a sgoil-àraich experience with immersion and Gàidhlig.

Children and young people’s progress and attainment in the broad general education

Across stages, most children and young people make good progress in talking Gàidhlig. This is following successful interventions to reduce gaps in their learning from the pandemic. Practitioners’ and teachers’ focus on improving literacy skills is impacting positively on the majority of children’s and young people’s reading and writing in Gàidhlig and English. Children and young people who leave Gàidhlig Medium Education, or reduce their time using and learning in the language, dilute their fluency. Their entitlement is a 3-18 immersion experience.

Overall, children make good progress from their prior levels of attainment in literacy and numeracy at the primary stages. Overall, children’s progress in literacy and English is good or very good. HM Inspectors evaluated most bun-sgoiltean as satisfactory on raising attainment and achievement. A minority were evaluated good or very good. Teachers and partners should continue planning to extend children and young people’s fluency. They should have a comprehensive overview of how well children attain across curricular areas.

Staff in the majority of 3-18 sgoiltean need to continue raising particular aspects of children and young people's attainment. At bun-sgoil, teachers need to focus on improving children’s writing in Gàidhlig. Teachers should also aim for children to achieve equal fluency and literacy in both Gàidhlig and English by the end of P7, while reaching expected levels of attainment across the curriculum. 

Children's and young people’s progress, fluency and attainment in 3-15 Gaelic (Learners)

There is no national overview of children’s and young people’s attainment in the broad general education for Gaelic (Learners). Given how fragile Gàidhlig is in the curriculum, this is an urgent area to address. All children and young people’s learning of Gàidhlig is important in arresting Gàidhlig’s decline. Senior leaders need to promote children’s and young people’s uptake of Gaelic (Learners) and know how well they are progressing.

Young people’s progress, fluency and attainment in the senior phase 

In the senior phase, young people attain well in National Qualifications for Gàidhlig and Gaelic (Learners). More young people need to achieve qualifications across the senior phase and continue into sustained positive destinations related to Gàidhlig beyond sgoil. Too many children who commence Gàidhlig Medium Education do not continue through the full 3-18 experience and leave with no qualification to recognise their fluency and achievements. 

Understanding standards and moderation

Staff continue to work together to develop a shared understanding of CfE standards and expectations, supported by use of the national Benchmarks. This is strengthening staff’s understanding of how well children and young people progress against national standards. Teachers now need to increase their participation in shared moderation activities focusing on listening and talking in Gàidhlig. This would support increasing children’s and young people’s fluency in the language. Children and young people who are not following formal courses and qualifications still need to be part of a continuum for achieving fluency. These children and young people still need to have targets for supporting their fluency.

Children and young people’s personal achievements

Staff routinely recognise and celebrate children’s and young people’s achievements in Gàidhlig well. Increasingly, they monitor children’s and young people’s achievements in a number of different areas to ensure equality, equity and inclusion in children and young people’s participation. 

Children and young people make valuable contributions to their local community. They reflect thoughtfully on their own strengths and where they can improve further. Children and young people should be supported further by staff to understand more clearly the resulting skills and capacities they develop as a result of their achievements. There is much capacity for young people’s achievements to be recognised formally with accreditation. 

Closing gaps in fluency, progress and attainment to increase equity

Most children and young people make good progress in reducing gaps in their learning from the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers have a renewed understanding of how high-quality total immersion results in children’s strong fluency. There are groups of learners moving through the system who have missed out on some of the benefits of total immersion at the early stages. In effective practice, teachers continue to use assessment well to target gaps and specific fundings to improve fluency. Partners have usefully supported reducing gaps in fluency and progress. In rural areas, teachers understand well how poverty and hardship manifests for learners. In a minority of 3-18 sgoiltean, senior leaders’ approaches to raising attainment require to be much more strategic. Senior leaders and staff should ensure a well-planned, dynamic, immersion curriculum with progressive programmes of work. Children and young people’s learning should be more individualised to assist them to develop their fluency and skills at a more accelerated pace.

Raising ambition for Gaelic (Learners)

In English Medium, children’s and young people’s progress in Gaelic (Learners) needs to be assessed and tracked more thoroughly and routinely. By the end of P7, many more children should be completing the second level of CfE. Children and young people should be encouraged to develop their lifelong learning of the language. This is while engaging with critical learning of Gàidhlig’s culture, heritage and how to sustain the language.

Developing fluency through personal achievements

Across 3-18, staff routinely recognise and celebrate children’s achievements in creative ways. Children and young people have opportunities to achieve and use Gàidhlig through a range of partnerships. These include partnerships with national Gaelic organisations such as:

• Spòrs Gàidhlig (sport) 
• e-Sgoil
• Fèisean nan Gàidheal
• Fèis Rois 
• Film G 
• Celtic Connections,
• Comunn na Gàidhlig
• Mòds
• An Deasbad Nàiseanta

Children and young people gain much from national and local opportunities to promote achievements, immersion and networking.

Overall, children and young would benefit from a wider range of opportunities to apply their literacy and Gàidhlig, literacy and English, and numeracy and mathematics skills across contexts and curriculum areas. This becomes even more apparent as young people move through the secondary stages.

• How well are all our staff taking responsibility for evidencing, and as appropriate, accrediting literacy, numeracy, and health and well-being through Gàidhlig across the curriculum?
• How well do we ensure that planned strategies to support learners requiring additional support enable children and young people to achieve and attain well?
• How well does our curriculum for Gàidhlig Medium Education support raising children’s and young people’s levels of attainment?
• How effective is our use of evidence and data to prioritise improvements to reduce any attainment gaps, including the poverty-related attainment gap or gaps related to additional support needs or protected characteristics?
• How clear are our strategies for raising attainment in Gàidhlig and are they having intended impact?
• How effective is our use of evidence and data to prioritise improvements to reduce any attainment gaps, including the poverty-related attainment gap or gaps related to additional support needs or protected characteristics?
• How clear are our strategies for raising attainment in Gàidhlig and are they having intended impact?
• How successful are we in achieving year on year improvements in children and young people's attainment and literacy in Gàidhlig and through Gàidhlig?
• How effectively are we assisting young people to attain the highest possible qualifications and awards from Gàidhlig Medium Education and in Gaelic (Learners)?