East Renfrewshire's Gaelic school opens its doors

Published: 16 August 2023

East Renfrewshire's first ever Gaelic school opened its doors on Wednesday 16 August 2023.

Located at Thornliebank Primary, Bun-Sgoil Ghàidhlig Thornliebank will eventually provide up to 50 places in two composite classes across primaries 1-3 and primaries 4-7.

As with any new educational offering, plans are made for the number of pupils to increase over a period of time.

Gaelic Medium Primary Education (GMPE) will be introduced in a progressive way, starting with only primary 1 pupils this year and with children joining at the primary 1 stage in future years.

Councillor Andrew Anderson, Convener for Education, Equalities, Culture and Leisure, said: 'It is great to see our new Gaelic school opening its doors today and I look forward to seeing it progress and develop in the years ahead. The teaching staff we've recruited have already been working extremely hard to prepare for the year ahead and I know they can't wait to get started. One of the benefits of establishing our GMPE within an existing school is that there is already a strong sense of community which will help our Gaelic offering to flourish. Our new pupils will be able to integrate with the wider school community, which will further enhance their experience.'

GMPE has been introduced in East Renfrewshire, following a formal request being made in October 2021 to assess the need for it in the area, and the relevant criteria were met.