The results of a cross-city consultation on the future of primary-level Gaelic Medium Education in Edinburgh have been announced. The former Bonnington Primary School premises are proposed as a dedicated Gaelic primary school, with nursery provision.
The proposal will now go forward for discussion on 30 June at the Full Council meeting. You can download the report here.
Key to any decision will be money. The Scottish Government has already promised £1.4 million in capital funding, but Council officials are looking to secure further funds to cover additional costs (not least those caused by the deteriorating condition of the building).
The recommendation to reoccupy Bonnington rather than adjust and expand current arrangements at Tollcross Primary School stemmed from the following factors:
- the potential for a fuller Gaelic language immersion experience making fluency and bilingualism more likely;
- the preferences of 94% of the 598 consultation respondents;
- greater scope for any further growth in future;
- significant levels of Government funding.
It was also felt that setting-up a dedicated Gaelic school would correspond with the Government's National Plan, and would reaffirm the Council's 'commitment to the preservation and development of the Gaelic language'.
The proposal will be greeted by members of the Leith Central Community Council, which affirmed its support for the move earlier this year (Breaking news, 28.2.11). 'This could contribute towards the regeneration of Leith,' commented Chair Roland Reid this afternoon, 'our diverse culture, attract families into our area and perhaps encourage the house builders to start building family housing again'.
It is unlikely to be universally welcomed, however, since some will fear the consequences of an additional financial burden on the Children and Families Department's already stretched education budget.
Fraser Cook – a Spurtle reader – contacted us on Facebook with this comment: 'What an absolute pointless waste of money! Teaching children a dead language is all well and good as an educational exercise, but for goodness sake dedicating an entire school to it? In an area where Gaelic arguably wasn't the main spoken language? This isn't the Highlands, this is Edinburgh.'