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Bòrd na Gàidhlig welcomes the news that North Ayrshire is set to offer Gaelic Medium Education for the first time with a new provision set to open in August 2020.

It will be located within Whitehirst Park Primary School, Kilwinning, with the post of Principal Teacher Gaelic advertised this week.

This is the first successful application for Gaelic Medium Education (GME) under the Education Act (Scotland) 2016 and Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s Statutory Guidance on Education.

In August 2017, Bòrd na Gàidhlig advised and funded a group of parent volunteers who wanted to set-up an early years’ playgroup in North Ayrshire.  The volunteers worked extremely hard on this campaign and since 2017, the interest in GME has continued to grow.

Parents submitted a formal application to North Ayrshire Council on 24 January 2019 and after the first assessment, the council concluded that they were willing to introduce GME.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig welcomes this news and its Director of Education, Jim Whannel, who was involved in the developments said:  “Bòrd na Gàidhlig are extremely happy that Gaelic Medium Education will now be offered in North Ayrshire and we are indebted to the parents and council for their progress with this.  Bòrd na Gàidhlig wish them every success and we look forward to continue working closely with them in the months ahead.”

Applications are now open for enrolment for GME at the school in Kilwinning.  Whitehirst Park Primary’s  Deputy headteacher, Louise Johnstone, said:  “This is exciting news and we are all looking forward to welcoming our first intake of pupils in August.  It is a real privilege to be the school chosen to deliver Gaelic Media Education for the first time in North Ayrshire.

“We are collaborative in our approach to this new provision and we are working with the council’s Education service and, of course, the parents to ensure we provide the best possible learning environment.”

Caroline Amos, Head of Service for Education at North Ayrshire Council, said :  “We were very receptive to the wishes of the parents as ultimately we want to deliver services and education that meets their needs.

“The parents are really keen and excited by this. We will now recruit a principal teacher who will help us move forward and ensure we are ready to open in August.”

Pamela Jardine, a parent who has been heavily involved in the campaign from the beginning said:

“We are just over the moon that our daughter will be attending a new GME unit in the summer, it is a dream come true and we think she will really enjoy her primary years at Whitehirst Park.  It has been a long journey, but the help and guidance we received along the way from Bòrd na Gàidhlig and North Ayrshire Council made it relatively easy to do.”

It is hoped that the new Principal Teacher Gaelic will be in post after Easter allowing them time to prepare for the August start date.

This great news means that there are now 15 local authorities in Scotland with GME.  This is the first rise in council numbers since Inverclyde Council opened GME in Greenock in 1999-2000.  North Ayrshire Council is the first local authority to offer GME in 21 years (to 2020-2021).

Bòrd na Gàidhlig agreed to North Ayrshire’s Gaelic Language Plan in 2014 and since then there have been many encouraging results including: supporting Gaelic education developments, Gaelic arts in the community and a new bilingual corporate logo.

Bòrd na Gàidhlig has made significant strides in promoting and supporting Gaelic language and culture in Scotland, the organisation’s 2018-19 annual report has revealed. It also demonstrates how Gaelic development contributes strongly to Scottish Government’s National Performance Framework.

 

The non-departmental public body helped thousands more children and young people learn and use Gaelic in the course of their daily lives over the course of the last financial year. It also achieved an increase in the number of adults learning or enhancing their Gaelic skills nationally.

 

Bòrd na Gàidhlig is working closely with 70 public authorities, with 54 of these having approved Gaelic language plans. In its stakeholder survey, Bòrd na Gàidhlig received a 100% full or partially satisfied rating from stakeholders, with none expressing any dissatisfaction,

 

According to the report, Bòrd na Gàidhlig received a total Grant-in-Aid allocation of just under £5.2 million – the financial allocation Bòrd na Gàidhlig is required to operate within by Scottish Ministers.

 

Of that total, £1.4 million covered core running costs, while £2.5 million went to Gaelic development funds – including community funding for people, projects and groups, including its Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd (Community Grant Scheme) – and £1.1 million towards the Gaelic Language Plans Implementation Fund.

 

In 2018-2019, Bòrd na Gàidhlig continued its support for people to develop their Gaelic skills at any age and these opportunities included: Supporting seven placements throughout Scotland in the Year of Young People 2018 in organisations such as Galson Estate Trust, Young Scot, An Àirigh, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust, An Lanntair, Taigh Chearsabhagh and Theatre Gu Leòr. They also provided funding for the employment of a Digital Officer within MG ALBA who oversees LearnGaelic.scot, an integral website for Gaelic learners and speakers alike boasting around 30,000 regular users every month.

 

Interim Chair Mary MacInnes said Bòrd na Gàidhlig continued to work hard on implementing its ambitious Corporate Plan 2018-23, which sets out ways to get more people using Gaelic more often and in more situations.

 

She added that thanks to the new working group, working under the banner ‘a Faster Rate of Progress’, other public bodies had also unveiled commitments to boosting the profile and use of Gaelic in Scotland. These included VisitScotland publishing its first ever Gaelic Tourism Strategy, and Police Scotland adopting Gaelic in its new logo. This has dramatically increased the awareness of Gaelic throughout Scotland.

 

She said: “The annual report and accounts for Bòrd na Gàidhlig detail the significant progress we have made in promoting and supporting the Gaelic language and culture.

 

“It has been heartening to see participation in learning and using Gaelic continue to grow, particularly among younger language activists, and many public bodies create their own Gaelic plans. The impact of these on the visibility and normalisation of Gaelic cannot be understated. Together, we are ensuring Gaelic’s place at the heart of Scottish national life.”

 

Chief executive Shona MacLennan cited work being undertaken to improve the organisation. She said: “We recognised the need to develop our leadership skills and work to increase openness and transparency across the organisation.

 

“We have been addressing these issues through the commissioning of a review of our remit and leadership structure, alongside a programme of development for senior managers. We also conducted an annual staff survey where we recognised a need to improve communication, engagement and wellbeing of our staff. In order to address these, we are working towards the Investors in People standard.”

 

“Our work shows how Bòrd na Gàidhlig is committed to seeing Gaelic develop and flourish in Scotland.”

This Bòrd na Gàidhlig Section 22 report is based on the Governance and Transparency Report, presented to the Audit and Risk Management Committee earlier this year. This is the most in-depth audit the organisation has ever undergone. It follows an extremely busy three years for Bòrd na Gàidhlig with many changes in structure and procedures taking place. The chief executive was charged with making these changes by the Board.

 

Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s board recognises the findings, which focused on its governance, leadership and management as well as its openness and transparency, were not all good news for the organisation.

 

The Bòrd na Gàidhlig board recognises the need to develop new ways of working and has embarked on a comprehensive programme of change. These changes across the whole organisation include:

 

• Reviewing the board’s remit and governance
• Reviewing Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s management structure
• Reviewing communication and collaboration with others, both internally and externally
• Developing the board and senior management’s skills and knowledge
• Creating a training plan for the board, senior management team and staff
• Developing a culture of greater openness and transparency

 

This programme is already underway, with more than 50% of the actions recommended being implemented within four months of receiving the report, and the remainder on target to be completed by the end of this financial year.

 

Mairi MacInnes, Bòrd na Gàidhlig Interim Chair, said: “Periods of change are difficult for any organisation, so Bòrd na Gàidhlig is not unique. This report has highlighted many of the challenges we have faced during the past three years, particularly in terms of the volume of work we have to deliver every day, our recruitment challenges and our limited resources. For the organisation to grow and achieve the commitments in our Corporate Plan 2018-23, we must continue to review all of our work and make changes where necessary. We remain committed to completing our programme of change, to help Gaelic flourish in Scotland and for Gaelic communities to continue to grow and thrive.

 

“All those involved in Bòrd na Gàidhlig recognise the need for and are thoroughly committed to finding a way forward so the recommendations made in the report are implemented and we are happy to explain the organisation and our decisions to the Public Audit and Post-legislative Scrutiny Committee if required.

 

“However, it is also important to highlight the significant and forward-thinking programme of work that we have delivered over recent years.

 

“Among our most notable achievements were gaining ministerial approval of the National Gaelic Language Plan 2018-23, which has been widely welcomed and received substantial cross-party support as well as acclaim from language planners in other minority languages.

 

“We maintained the annual budget in an increasingly challenging fiscal environment, as well as increasing both the use, learning and promotion of Gaelic in Scotland and also the number of public authorities actively involved in the Gaelic language.

 

“We developed new national initiatives, such as A Faster Rate of Progress, led by Depute First Minister and Education Secretary John Swinney to deliver a range of key commitments in the National Gaelic Language Plan.

 

“In 2017 we gained Ministerial approval of the Statutory Guidance for Gaelic Education through a collaborative working group led by Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

 

“Finally, as well as increasing demand for Gaelic medium education in Scotland, we developed new three-year funding agreements which will enable increased planning, development and efficiency for the main community organisations involved in using, learning and promoting Gaelic.”

 

“We all want Bòrd na Gàidhlig to be a success story – taking on board this report’s findings will help us work towards that goal.”

Bòrd na Gàidhlig is welcoming organisations in Scotland which support and promote the Gaelic language to apply for grants of up to £5,000, after launching its community funding scheme for 2020/21.

A budget of £125,000 has been set aside for Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd community grants scheme and organisations committed to delivering a local project that promotes Gaelic are encouraged to apply.

Last year Bòrd na Gàidhlig awarded funding to 74 projects – including voluntary organisations, social enterprises, sporting, religious, school and arts groups.

Among those awarded cash last year was Garrabost Free Church which used £3,200 from Bòrd na Gàidhlig along with other funding, to help digitally preserve a rare set of recordings of islanders on Lewis reciting the New Testament.

The recordings from the 1980s were of the congregation of Knock Free Church, now merged with Garrabost, and it is hoped these recordings will become a valuable resource for all those learning the Gaelic language.

Also Urras an Taobh Sear (Staffin Community Trust) was awarded £3,400 to continue its unique course it has been running since 2013, entitled Àrainneachd, Cànan is Dualchas (Gaelic in the environment) at Staffin on Skye, one of the most beautiful locations in the country.

Birks Cinema Trust, which runs the community-owned Birks Cinema in Aberfeldy, Perth and Kinross, was provided with £1,300 to help run a Gaelic cafe and Gaelic events.

 

Mairi MacInnes, Bòrd na Gàidhlig Interim Chair, said this year’s scheme above all wants to help support projects promoting extra-curricular Gaelic use for GME pupils, promote the use of Gaelic in the home, encourage Gaelic in communities and help more adults learn and use Gaelic, and promote better access and awareness of Scotland’s Gaelic heritage.

She said:

“All 74 projects we awarded funding have done fantastic work promoting and developing the Gaelic language.

“The Knock Free Church recordings represent an amazing resource, while Urras an Taobh Sear’s Àrainneachd and Birks Cinema Trust’s cafe and events are hugely popular.

“We at Bòrd na Gàidhlig are delighted to support them and urge many more organisations committed to promoting and growing Gaelic to apply for this latest round of funding.”

 

David Murray, Garrabost Free Church Clerk to Session, said:

“Bòrd na Gàidhlig’s funding from its Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd fund enabled us to digitise and clean sound files of an audio version of the Gaelic New Testamant which was produced by members of the congregation in the 1980s. We also received funding from the Point and Sandwick Trust to complete the project.

“Without the Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd funding it is likely that these audio recordings would have been lost, as the cassette tapes were old and very few sets of the audio recordings remain. The fund allowed us to employ a local IT specialist to undertake the work of digitising and cleaning the recordings.

“The Audio Recording of the New Testament is a rich archive of local Gaelic speakers and we are delighted that it has been preserved. We hope to produce a website to host the sound files in the near future.

“The Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd fund is a great help for Gaelic development work which goes on at community level.”

 

Sìne Gillespie, of Urras an Taobh Sear, said:

“Àrainneachd, Cànan is Dualchas is a course created by Roddy Maclean for fluent and near fluent speakers of Gaelic. The course provides students with teaching tools that are indispensable not merely for educators but for anybody who is passionate about Gaelic Scotland. Students learn that there are 130 Gaelic words to describe a mountain. Of particular joy and usefulness are Roddy’s lists of Gaelic names for seabirds, wildlife and Scottish trees.

“Students who undertake this course gain access to a wealth of material that connects the language, culture and environment of Gaelic Scotland. Àrainneachd, Cànan is Dualchas represents, after all, the lifetime’s work of a Gaelic ambassador at the height of his powers. And ACD is strengthened further through its rootedness in a community where fluent Gaelic is spoken eloquently.

“Staffin Community Trust would be unable to host this marvellous course without financial assistance. We have been very fortunate to receive a grant over seven summers from Bòrd na Gàidhlig.

“We and our partners are indeed grateful to Bòrd na Gàidhlig who – through their Taic Freumhan Coimhearsnachd scheme – have helped us in the community of Staffin to build richly on our reputation as an excellent location for Gaelic courses in the outdoors.

“As a community trust, Urras an Taobh Sear is mindful of the related economic benefits as well as those that come from investing in the proactive development of our unique and precious Gaelic language.”

Update: Applications for this scheme have closed. You can find information about all of our funding schemes here.

The organisation has backed Giglets Gàidhlig, which provides online learning for students in Gaelic schools throughout Scotland using a cloud-based system, to the tune of £147,000 over three years.

 

Already more than 90% of Gaelic Medium Education (GME) schools are using or are trained on Giglets Gàidhlig’s system, with 600 teachers and 4,500 pupils registered.

 

Jim Whannel, Bòrd na Gàidhlig Director of Education, said: “Bòrd na Gàidhlig is delighted that Giglets Gàidhlig is proving such a success story.

 

“We believe Giglets Gàidhlig is a perfect fit for the ultimate aim of Bòrd na Gàidhlig – to help Gaelic flourish in Scotland through people learning the language in an enterprising, fun yet academically challenging way.

 

“Its aim is to give children a love for reading and provide teachers with a rich collection of texts and resources. It supports multiple media, such as graphics, pictures, animations at key moments of the story, so every child and teacher can use it in Gaelic.

 

“We believe Giglets Gàidhlig will continue to help pupils, teachers, schools and the Gaelic community in Scotland as a whole to work towards our goal.”

 

Headquartered in Kilmarnock, Giglets Gàidhlig is a K-12 company involved in early years, primary and early secondary education. The project is supported by several hundred Gaelic resources aligned with Curriculum for Excellence, with 45 Gaelic voiceovers professionally recorded and published.

 

It also provides a library of hundreds of texts and thousands of curriculum-aligned resources, and provides educational training and support services. It also partners with Stòrlann Nàiseanta, the organisation which is the main producer of Gaelic educational resources.

 

It is the brainchild of Dr Karsten Karcher, chairman and founder of Giglets Education. He says Giglets Gàidhlig provides a low cost, scalable, cloud-based learning platform and software-as-a-service (SaaS) that improves learning experiences for teachers and pupils.

 

Also vital to the edtech system’s success is it is education first and technology second.

 

He said: “Its content consists of a library of online titles, both fiction and non-fiction. They are delivered in a totally accessible way according to the abilities of the student reading them – be it novel, newspaper or cartoon style.”

 

Aimed at those aged between three to 14, Giglets Gàidhlig is accessible on tablet, computer, and mobiles. Dr Karcher says texts also have full voiceovers.

 

He added: “Giglets Gàidhlig is unique in terms of the number of schools engaged – thanks to its aim to reverse a fall in reading standards. It also helps reduce teachers’ workloads by reducing preparation and marking time, and provides data and analytics to teachers, schools, local authorities and governments.

 

“Ultimately Giglets Gàidhlig helps teachers raise standards and supports them in engaging pupils and involving parents while providing valuable information to reinforce their judgements about a learner’s progress.”

 

Giglets Gàidhlig is supported by the Gaelic Local Authority Network (GLAN) as well as all 14 Scottish local authorities involved in GME. They are Highland, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, Argyll and Bute, Glasgow, Perth and Kinross, Aberdeen City, East Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, Edinburgh City, North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, Stirling, Angus and Inverclyde Councils.

 

Giglets Gàidhlig is also supported by Gaelic teaching organisations, University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde, University of the Highlands and Islands, Sabhal Mòr Ostaig and Newbattle Abbey College in Midlothian.

 

 

 

Media Contact: Elaine Fee on 07540 124245 or Philip Gates on 07525 645350

VisitScotland has published its latest Gaelic Language Plan as part of its commitment to ensuring Gaelic has a strong and sustainable future in Scotland.

It comes as a ‘Scottish Gaelic Explained’ video created by the national tourism organisation in the summer reached over 95,000 views, showing an increasing interest in the language.

 

The revised plan highlights actions to be undertaken by the national tourism organisation to contribute to the growth of Gaelic over the next three years. These include encouraging and supporting more tourism businesses to engage with Gaelic and recording those that do, while raising Gaelic awareness within VisitScotland.

 

The plan which was first created in 2012, was drawn up by representatives from across the organisation and was circulated for public consultation before it was finalised.

 

An immediate focus for the 2019-2022 plan is to conduct an audit of Gaelic-speaking VisitScotland staff, which will take place before the end of the year.

The plan follows the launch of the first Gaelic Tourism Strategy in 2018 which aims to increase promotion and access to Gaelic as part of the Scottish visitor experience. VisitScotland lead on the implementation of the strategy and is co-ordinating progress across all actions and partners involved.

 

Gaelic is part of daily life in Scotland and has been for generations. As a unique aspect of Scottish culture and heritage, Gaelic can provide an extra layer to the authentic Scottish experience and to Scotland’s many visitors. The VisitScotland Visitor Survey in 2016 found that, with no prior promotion, 34% of respondents felt that Gaelic, as a national language of Scotland, enhanced their visit and they would like to find out more about it.

 

Malcolm Roughead, Chief Executive of VisitScotland, said: “This latest VisitScotland Gaelic Language Plan reinforces our commitments to promote the language’s use throughout the organisation, focusing on key areas of our operation such as supporting the tourism industry to embrace Gaelic, our identity, signage, communication with the public and the use of Gaelic on our websites.

 

“The language has the potential to be a key ingredient in the Scottish tourism offer, providing visitors with a memorable and unique experience. VisitScotland plays a significant role in seeing that those travelling to our shores have their visits enriched even further by Gaelic.

“With over 600 staff, offices and information centres across the country, and all our visitor communications, our role in ensuring the long-term sustainability of the Gaelic language is a significant one.”

 

Welcoming the plan, Bòrd na Gàidhlig Ceannard (CEO) Shona NicIllinnein said: “Bòrd na Gàidhlig welcomes the third iteration of VisitScotland’s Gaelic Plan and we recognise and value the significant work that VisitScotland undertakes to promote Gaelic in Scotland and internationally.

 

“Tourism is very important to the Scottish economy and we recognise the huge potential which exists to grow the use of Gaelic across the industry, for the benefit of communities and visitors alike.”

 

You can access VisitScotland’s Gaelic Language Plan at: http://www.visitscotland.org/about_us/our_gaelic_plan.aspx