1. Ingeborg Birnie University of Strathclyde Ingeborg.birnie@strath.ac.uk
Gaelic Medium Education in the Western Isles – Opportunities & Challenges
Ingeborg Birnie
University of Strathclyde

2. Historical overview of GME
1872
Education Act (Scotland) – no mention of Gaelic
1905
Gaelic as a subject Lower Leaving Certificate
1916
Gaelic as a subject Higher Leaving Certificate
1918
Education Act (Scotland) – Gaelic allowed to be used to explain things to children who didn’t have enough English
1976
Bilingual classroom project in the Western Isles – Environmental studies
1984
Beginning of GME with 2 sgoiltean-àraich (Glasgow & Inverness)
2018
GME delivered in 57 primary schools (incl. 6 Gaelic schools)

3. GME - Principles
GME is based on the principles of immersion with children accruing all the benefits of bilingualism.
The early stage of learning through the medium of Gaelic, and where no other language is used, is referred to as ‘total immersion’. This is followed by an ‘immersion phase’ up to and including the senior phase.
All GME provision, whether in free-standing provision known as Gaelic schools or GM schools or when delivered alongside English medium, have as an underlying foundation the principles of immersion.
(Education Scotland, February 2015 p. 8)

4. Outcomes
GME, based on the principles of immersion with its resultant fluency, is recognised as the best way of achieving a sustainable future for the Gaelic language. Children in GME accrue all the benefits of bilingualism.
(Education Scotland, February 2015 p. 8 emphasis mine)
The main aim stated is to revitalise Gaelic, and as an aside (almost) it is suggested that on a personal level bilingualism will be accrued

5. Outcomes
In the best immersion practice, the purpose is to ensure that children will have achieved equal fluency and literacy in both Gaelic in English. In these cases, schools have identified two outcomes which they use as a focus for improvement. These are that children:
Feel equally confident in the use of Gaelic and English; and
Are able to use both Gaelic and English in a full range of situations within and outwith school
(HMIe, 2011, p. 4 emphasis mine)

6. Western Isles Last remaining ”heartland” of Gaelic
15 inhabited islands with a total population of 27,684
Last remaining ”heartland” of Gaelic
61.2% of the population having some competence in the language
52.2% of the population self-reported to be able to speak the language
(vis-à-vis 1.7 & 1.1% respectively across Scotland)
(National Records for Scotland, 2013)

7. Speaker demographic Self-reported ability to speak the language
Ability to speak Gaelic declines inversely to age
Appears to be stable in the younger age groups
If the trend had continued it would have been expected to continue to drop off inversely with age – but there is a clear reversal in the trend which *might* be attributed to the establishment of Gaelic Medium Education and the inclusion of Gaelic as a subject across the early secondary school phase
Adapted from data obtained from National Records of Scotland (2013)

8. Western Isles Gaelic Policy
‘[The] higher concentrations of speakers allow Gaelic to exist as a community language in districts of the Western Isles. Therefore, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar recognises that it is extremely important that this Gaelic Language Plan helps to create the conditions whereby this Gaelic usage can not only be sustained, but also be revitalised, in these communities.’
(Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, 2017: 4, emphasis mine)
Focus on Gaelic in the CnES is that of Gaelic as a community language

9. GME in the Western Isles
GME offered in 20 out of 22 schools (90.9% in the Authority)
37.1% (708 pupils) enrolled (2017/2018) in GME
Largest uptake of GME of any authority.
Aim of 55% P1 enrolments in GME by 2018
Focus on the advantages of bilingualism to cognitive development in promoting GME to parents
(Comhairle nan Eilean Siar Gaelic Language Plan – 2022)
(Bòrd na Gàidhlig, 2018)

10. Other initiatives to support GME:
Homework support
Online
After school
Including reading materials and parental support materials to encourage use of the language

11. Other initiatives to support GME:
Western Isles website promoting GME:
GME as a route to bilingualism
Creation of (educational) resources

12. Initiatives to support GME:
Activities are promoted as “Gaelic activities” thereby emphasising the focus that these are GAELIC activities rather than activities that happen to be through the medium of Gaelic – emphasises the Gaelic for specific activit
Activities through the medium of Gaelic
Many focussed on outdoor education / sports OR media
“opt-in” to Gaelic?

13. Speaker demographic Intergenerational transmission OR Impact of GME
‘Capacity’ but does this mean ‘opportunity’ & ‘desire’ (Grin, 2013)?
If the trend had continued it would have been expected to continue to drop off inversely with age – but there is a clear reversal in the trend which *might* be attributed to the establishment of Gaelic Medium Education and the inclusion of Gaelic as a subject across the early secondary school phase
Adapted from data obtained from National Records of Scotland (2013)

14. Inter-generational language use
Gaelic language use highest in conversations involving adults > 60
Gaelic language use by adults < 30 is 8.8% times lower than in the adults > 60 category
De facto language use lower than expected from reported knowledge
No data available for children under 16 – anecdotal evidence would suggest that social language use amongst children is almost non-existent. This is also supported by the study conducted by Munro et al 2010 in Shawbost
(Birnie, 2018)

15. Inter-generational interactions
“Enough people speak Gaelic, young people. But, you know, older people … they don’t expect you to speak it. They just assume we don’t … so, you know, they speak English”
(Translation of Quote BP07_02, Birnie, 2018).

16. Ideologies vs practice
Generally positive ideology towards the language:
88.7% of adults agreed with the statement ‘to maintain their identity, the Western Isles need their Gaelic speakers’
77.8% of adults agreed with the statement ‘it is essential that children in the islands learn Gaelic’
BUT
Intergenerational transmission of Gaelic [in Shawbost] is broken – the majority of parents and children choose to use mainly English or English only with each other.
(Munro, Armstrong & Mac an Tàilleir, 2010)

17. ‘If a parent had been brought up by parents who spoke Gaelic and English equally in their childhood home, when they themselves become parents they were likely to use mainly or only English with their own children, and three quarters of them sent their children to English Medium Education
Today’s parents who were brought up in a mainly or only Gaelic speaking household were more likely to speak mainly or only Gaelic to their children, and to send their children to Gaelic Medium Education’
(Munro, Armstrong & Mac an Tàilleir, 2010: 12 (emphasis by the authors))

18. Ideologies vs practice - example
“My husband does not speak Gaelic but I have two young daughters and a young son, they do Gaelic at school, so no, I don’t use Gaelic at all, but we sent them to the Gaelic school, we want them to have Gaelic”
(Translation of transcript BP10_01 from interview with Informant BP10, Birnie, ).

19. Compartmentalisation of domains?
‘When I was little it was the opposite… we all used Gaelic at home and English in the school. Now they use Gaelic in the school but English at home and in the playground’
(Interview with Participant in Soillse ‘media use’ study, 2014)
(Birnie, 2018)

20. Ideology vs practice - example
“I speak Gaelic as often as I can with my youngest son. I was not fluent when the other children were born and English was the main language we used. I am trying however to speak Gaelic as well. I speak English with the older children at the weekend when we are all together … I am aware that I use more English with the children when I argue with them. I had an argument with my daughter and she was unhappy … I was speaking English to her without even trying to use Gaelic as well.” (Translation of Quote BP02_01, Birnie, ).

21. Conclusion
Growth of GME has contributed to (relatively) high self-reported competences in Gaelic in the Western Isles
GME can be used to support intergenerational transmission but not replace it
Mismatch between ideologies & practice of Gaelic speaking parents
Emphasis has shifted to institutionalisation
Language initiatives might have contributed to further compartmentalisation of domains

22. “I don’t know (what I think about Gaelic – IB). I don’t know
“I don’t know (what I think about Gaelic – IB). I don’t know. To tell the truth I don’t know what I think about Gaelic, although I work here (in a Gaelic sector workplace – IB), I have children in the Gaelic school. I like Gaelic, but I am not … I am not overly passionate about it. I am not an activist. I don’t think about it, I speak Gaelic, just like I speak English. I don’t think about it” (Translation of Transcript BP10_03.
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