Gaelic Medium Education is an option within Scottish schools that gives children and young people the opportunity to become proficient in Gaelic as well as English. GME is a free bilingual education option available within Perth & Kinross at Goodlyburn Primary School and Breadalbane Academy.
Gaelic Medium Education offers your child the opportunity to achieve fluency in another language at an early age. Starting at Primary 1, Gaelic Medium Education follows exactly the same curriculum as English education but most lessons are taught through the Gaelic language. As your child learns various subjects they will also pick up another language. English is introduced from Primary 3 onwards so that pupils are bilingual by the time they reach Primary 7.
What are the benefits of Gaelic Medium Education?
- Research shows that children who understand more than one language are able to think more flexibly and creatively.
- Being bilingual offers many career opportunities
- Some research has even indicated that being bilingual may help to keep the brain sharper for longer.
- Children exposed to different languages at an early age tend to be more focused than monolinguals at 'multitasking'
Transition sessions for Gaelic Medium Education are also available but are on hold at the moment due to COVID.
Assessment of need for Gaelic Medium Primary Education (GMPE)
Parents of a child who is under school age and has not started to attend a primary school can request an assessment of the need for GMPE in Perth and Kinross in a locality where GMPE is not currently provided.
If you would like your child to access Gaelic Medium Education and they have not yet started to attend a primary school, you can request a GMPE assessment using the forms on the Scottish Government website. Forms are available in English and Gaelic.
Before you make a request for assessment, you may find it useful to view the Statutory Guidance on Gaelic Education published by Bòrd na Gàidhlig. The Guidance provides further detail on how to proceed with the submission of a request to an education authority to assess the need for GMPE, and an explanation of how the process works. It also provides parents with an explanation of what they can expect if they submit a request to assess the need for GMPE.
Please note that a request for an assessment of the need for GMPE is not the same as an application to enrol a child in any existing, or potential, provision.
More information on GME is available in the pack from the Parant website and within our Gaelic Medium Education Frequently Asked Questions (PDF) [8KB] .
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