How good is the quality of our curriculum learning pathways for Gaelic Education?

Staff at the bun-sgoiltean are pivotal in establishing immersion pathways across all 3-18 sgoiltean. Pathways for 3-5 immersion are not established consistently. At àrd-sgoiltean, there is important work to take forward to retain young people in Gàidhlig Medium Education, while enhancing their fluency. Pathways for Gaelic (Learners) are fragile and need revitalised.

Creating relevant curriculum pathways

Senior leaders and staff demonstrate an improving understanding of the benefits of creating curriculum learning pathways through effective total immersion and immersion approaches. In effective practice, senior leaders develop learning pathways so that children and young people develop strong fluency in Gàidhlig and interest in the language’s culture, music, traditions and contemporary features.

The majority of teachers at bun-sgoil stages plan a wide range of quality learning across the curriculum, and in the local and Gàidhlig community. Children are building fluency, knowledge and skills over time in Gàidhlig through opportunities for achievement, attainment, rich real-life based experiences and links to the world of work.

Children and young people at bun-sgoil and àrd-sgoil experience an increasing range of opportunities for achievements through the medium of Gàidhlig. More use needs to be made of awards and qualifications through Gàidhlig, where appropriate.

Most sgoiltean have well established curriculum progression frameworks for literacy and Gàidhlig, literacy and English, numeracy and health and wellbeing. In effective practice, staff implement a bespoke oral language programme to introduce, reinforce and consolidate Gàidhlig language structures, idioms and grammar. 

Staff should increase their collaboration and autonomy in developing learning contexts and cross curricular themes that matter to Gàidhlig and immersion.

In almost all bun-sgoiltean and àrd-sgoiltean, staff report that children and young people receive their full entitlement to two hours of physical education each week. The national collection of this data does not make it clear whether this is delivered through Gàidhlig or English.

In almost all English Medium Education bun-sgoiltean, there is critical potential for more children and young people to learn Gàidhlig and important knowledge about Gàidhlig. This is as their first or second additional language leading to a national qualification in the senior phase.

Secondary curriculum pathways for Gàidhlig Medium and Gaelic Learner Education

In àrd-sgoiltean, more senior leaders and staff need to develop a rationale and approach for developing curriculum learning pathways for Gàidhlig, Gàidhlig Medium and Gaelic (Learners). This should increase the teaching time allocated to literacy, numeracy and health and wellbeing as a responsibility of all across 3-15 education into the senior phase.

Teachers should be encouraged to make more use of subjects, interdisciplinary learning (IDL) and foundation apprenticeship courses to add to the proportion of the curriculum that is delivered through Gàidhlig. 

Young people in Gàidhlig Medium Education are not always able to take an additional language in S1-3. This mitigates against the benefits of bilingualism. Partners for Gàidhlig can usefully assist more with learning pathways.

Across both Gaelic Learner and Gàidhlig Medium Education, the number of young people taking up courses that lead to qualifications and awards is of ongoing grave concern for Scotland. This is having a detrimental impact on creating a fluent workforce as part of a cycle of sustainable language survival. The design of the secondary curriculum remains underdeveloped nationally. Newer curriculum design features, such as foundation apprenticeships are not created specific enough to closing gaps in workforce planning for the Gàidhlig sector, including teaching. 

Enhancing pathways with partners

In strong examples of practice, children and young people benefit significantly from collaborating with partners who are very fluent in Gàidhlig. This in turn enhances their attainment and fluency in Gàidhlig. However, sgoiltean and partners are often not yet measuring and maximising the extent to which partners impact on children’s and young people’s attainment and fluency. 

Partnerships build children’s and young people's awareness of Gàidhlig locally and nationally. In effective practice, teachers increase children’s and young people’s knowledge of employment opportunities. Teachers share career information with young people and promote attending Gàidhlig-specific career fairs. As a result, children and young people have a stronger understanding of how bilingualism and a wide range of skills are important to their future lives, the local and national economy and Gàidhlig community.

Children and young people need to be clearer on how to independently access Gàidhlig-specific clubs, activities and networks out with sgoil as a way of taking responsibility for enriching their fluency.

Improving àrd-sgoil pathways

Almost all àrd-sgoiltean need to increase planning for Gàidhlig Medium Education. This is as a continuum of learning with young people’s achievements recognised with qualifications and awards into the senior phase. The time allocated to literacy and Gàidhlig in S1-3 varies too much across sgoiltean. Senior leaders in school and community partners need to manage the curriculum and plan for an increase in the number of learners progressing to study Gàidhlig and through Gàidhlig, and Gaelic (Learners) in 3-15 education and the senior phase. By maximising existing resources, and by encouraging all qualified teachers to teach in Gàidhlig Medium and Learner Education, more efforts need to be made by senior leaders and partners to increase continuity with subject teaching leading to a qualification.

Children and young people who have gaps in their learning across curriculum areas and subjects through Gàidhlig should continue to be supported to maintain and extend their specialist vocabulary in these areas. 

Resourcing the curriculum

Across almost all sgoiltean, teachers having a range of resources to deliver the curriculum remains a high priority. This includes resources for digital, additional support needs, equality and diversity, and texts to teach reading and mathematics through Gàidhlig. Translations of resources directly from English miss important learning and contextual objectives. There are far fewer modern and appealing resources in Gàidhlig than English to engage children and young people in reading and listening to texts for enjoyment and in developing independence in their learning. Children and young people’s access to library services through Gàidhlig is not close to being equitable to that available for their peers in English medium. Teachers should fully inform decisions on resourcing priorities and have access to translators for making local resources available.

Parents as curriculum partners

Children and young people’s Gàidhlig experiences are enhanced by partnerships. These include partnerships with the local community, and national, local and Gàidhlig groups.

In the most effective practice, staff have raised the profile of Gàidhlig in the community through effective partnerships and intergenerational links. In some cases, technology is used well for this purpose. There is scope to improve opportunities for children and parents/carers to learn together. Most parents/carers are advised of the online support for homework, Gaelic4Parents and associated online resources. Staff should continue sharing timely information with families on bilingualism, immersion and the benefits of learning Gàidhlig. Across all sgoiltean, teachers should continue to maximise and promote parents’ use of other available online resources for Gàidhlig.

Impact of the 2017 Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Education

In a majority of 3-18 sgoiltean, senior leaders need to increase their knowledge and use of the statutory guidance on sgoiltean education.

This includes improving strategic approaches to immersion education to maximise the time children and young people learn through sgoiltean. Specialist subject teaching and covering for teachers’/practitioners’ non-contact time is too often through the medium of English and as such, dilutes immersion experiences.

• How well do our progression pathways develop learners’ knowledge, skills and understanding in Gàidhlig Medium and Learner Education? 
• How effectively do our progression pathways support the development of associated culture and identity in Gàidhlig Medium and Learner Education?
• What are the next steps for improving progression pathways in Gàidhlig Medium and Learner Education?
• How well do children and young people in Gàidhlig Medium Education receive their entitlement to a broad general education, with progression to awards and qualifications in the senior phase?
• How well do children and young people in Gàidhlig Medium Education engage with national and local competitions and events?
  What awards and qualifications are used to recognise their successes, as appropriate?
• To what extent does our staff team have a shared understanding of how interdisciplinary learning and technology can be used to promote Gàidhlig Medium Education?
• How well does our curriculum develop children’s and young people’s knowledge and learning of Gàidhlig and Scots, and associated cultures to secure sustainable futures for the languages?
• How well does our school identify, engage and review effectively with Gàidhlig partners to maximise curriculum experiences to benefit learners’ fluency?
• How well do we promote Gàidhlig at times of enrolments and transitions? What are our successful strategies? 
• How well do we enable parents/carers and families and the local community to contribute to the life of the sgoil and be involved in sgoil improvement of Gàidhlig?
• How effectively do we support parents/carers to participate in, contribute to and understand their child’s learning?
• How effectively do we communicate about progress, attainment and achievement? 
• Is our Parent Council representative of all the parents and carers in the sgoil and their social, economic, language and cultural backgrounds? 
  Is there an appropriate proportion of Gàidhlig and non-Gàidhlig speakers? If not, what are we doing to address this?
• How well do we consider and promote legislative requirements for Gàidhlig within our sgoil?