SGOIL LIONAIL
Comhairle Nan Eilean Siar
Department of Education 

GAELIC POLICY 

Introduction    Gaelic is a native language found in parts of Highlands and Islands communities, with half of the Gaelic-speaking population found elsewhere in Scotland.  The language and culture have recently enjoyed growth in the arts, the media and education, exemplified by increased interest in, and access to, literature, music, and the performing arts, and by expanded provision for broadcasting and pre-school play groups. Parents are also exercising choice and commitment in support of current initiatives.  In business and commerce, the ability of employees to use Gaelic is increasingly seen as an asset in administration and communication.  Educators will therefore require to equip Gaelic-speaking pupils with the skills necessary to take advantage of the growing number of employment opportunities available locally and nationally.  Against such a socio-economic background, sustaining the growth of Gaelic as a living language has implications for the provision of Gaelic from the earliest years.  In the Western Isles, increasing emphasis is being laid upon Gaelic-medium education from early Primary education, and the possibility of Gaelic-medium Secondary provision is increasingly advocated.
 

Aims                Aims of Lionel School are subsumed in the Gaelic policy, for example to:

Provide a coherent, relevant, broad-based, balanced, differentiated bilingual curriculum, giving full consideration to national and local Gaelic guidelines.  The various elements of the courses are planned and taught in an appropriate sequence to meet the range of needs, abilities and aspirations of pupils, and to promote progression and continuity in pupils’ learning. Productive links are made with other curriculum areas or subjects eg English, French and ICT.

Provide a learning environment which is stimulating and challenging, where teaching plans provide concise and clear specifications of what pupils are expected to learn, how and when learning is to be undertaken, and where learning outcomes and assessment strategies are clearly stated.

Objectives        The Gaelic policy reflects ambitious, excellent local and national priorities for improvement, shows consistency with education authority aims, and focuses on improving standards of attainment and the quality of pupils’ learning experiences, as follows:
 

Inclusion          All pupils are entitled to a range of learning experiences in Gaelic.  When setting work to pupils with special needs, we refer to those pupils’ Individual Education Plans (IEPs).  We value and celebrate the diversity of our pupils and their families, and we appreciate the enrichment that this brings.
 

Attainment outcomes and targets       Gaelic components are described in terms of Gaelic Medium Education and Gaelic for Fluent Speakers and Gaelic Learners' Education.  The attainment outcomes and targets are:

Listening - covering the strands listening for information, instructions and directions, listening in groups, listening in order to respond to texts, awareness of genre (type of text) and knowledge about language.

Speaking - covering the strands conveying information, instructions and directions, talking in groups, talking about experiences, feelings and opinions, talking about texts, audience awareness and knowledge about language.

Reading - covering the strands reading for information, reading for information, reading to reflect on the writer's ideas and craft, awareness of genre (type of text), reading aloud and knowledge about language.

Writing - covering the strands functional writing, personal writing, imaginative writing, punctuation and structure, spelling, handwriting and presentation and knowledge about language.
 

Learning and Teaching           The learning and teaching approaches used within Lionel School, together with coordinated planning, should enable pupils to study and understand the attainment outcomes and targets outlined within Gaelic, as follows:

Homework       The establishment of good study habits at an early age will contribute greatly towards the future educational success of pupils.  The most important support any parent can give to a student is to show a caring interest in the work done at home - provided the homework is not actually completed by the parent, the sharing of work can only be beneficial.  The school’s homework policy is complemented by advice from parentzonescotland.
 

Handbook       The Gaelic Handbook contains detailed information about the work of the department.
 

Review            This policy was prepared in 2005 and will be reviewed in 2008.

Ag Amas Air Adhartas – Aiming for Advancement