Gaelic school a victim of success

Monday 14 July 2008

Gaelic school a victim of success

PUPIL numbers at Glasgow Gaelic School are at an all-time high.

But the popularity of the school has landed education bosses with a problem - they cannot find enough fluent Gaelic-speaking teachers.

This year the secondary school has around 62 students on the roll but next year that number is set to rise to 100. Over 70 children will enroll in the primary school next term. Glasgow was the first council to provide a dedicated Gaelic secondary school, recognised nationally as a ground breaking approach. Margaret Doran, executive director of education and social work, admitted the shortage would hit lessons. She said: "This impacts on the curriculum we can offer and also on the opportunities for staff to attend in-service days and the school's ability to cover staff absence." Education executive spokesman Gordon Matheson added: "We are delighted our Gaelic education service is so popular, with an increase in demand year on year. "Next month the number of kids starting primary will be the largest ever. "To meet this demand, the council has lots of Gaelic-speaking teachers, child development officers and other staff. "There are shortages in this area nationally but we expect to be able to recruit qualified staff for any vacancies." Cllr Matheson vowed to work with the Bord na Gaidhlig - an agency set up to secure the language's future - universities, the Gaelic management review group and the Scottish Government to recruit more teachers."

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