Gaelic Medium Primary Education

The Education (Scotland) Act 2016 places a duty on local authorities to promote and support Gaelic Medium Education (GME). Learning teaching and assessment take place in Gaelic. This means that Gaelic is the main language of the classroom.

In Primary 1-3, there is a 'total immersion' approach to support learners develop confidence in the language. Teachers and support staff speak fluent Gaelic and children are expected to use Gaelic to communicate. Homework is in Gaelic and parents are encouraged to support to their children as in mainstream education.

East Renfrewshire does not currently have GME provision within the council area. However parents resident in East Renfrewshire who wish to access GME for their child may do this in one of two ways:

• If you have a child below school age, you can ask the local authority to assess the need for Gaelic Medium Primary Education (GMPE) to be provided within East Renfrewshire. Due to the size and population of East Renfrewshire the assessment area is likely to be the whole of the local authority. Read an overview of the assessment process from Bòrd na Gàidhlig. The application form to apply to the council for a GMPE assessment is available from the Scottish Government website.
• You may wish to apply for a GME place in a neighbouring local authority. If you are successful, East Renfrewshire Council may be able to pay for transport for your child. To request assistance with transport to a GME school you can contact the Education Admissions team on 0141 577 3288.

Current requests 

The Education Department received a request for an assessment of the need for Gaelic Medium Education in the local authority area on 27 October 2021. The department has now completed a full assessment in line with the  Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Education. (PDF) [513KB] .

The Full Assessment Response recommends that the Education Department department take forward a learning provision for Gaelic Medium Primary Education for the beginning of school session 2023 / 2024.

Read the full assessment response  (PDF) [825KB]  

The final report has now been published:

ERC GPME Consultation Final Report (PDF) [535KB]
ERC GPME Consultation Final Report - Appendices (PDF) [4MB]
ERC GPME Consultation Final Report - Gaelic version (PDF) [242KB]

If you have any questions about the assessment, you can contact the Education Department at educationresponse@eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk.