Teachers sign up for course embedding Scots language into classrooms

Education secretary Jenny Gilruth will mark the launch of the course on Tuesday.

PA Media

6th Feb 2024

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More than 120 teachers have signed up to a training course on embedding Scots language into the classroom.

The first-of-its-kind resource is set to be delivered by the Open University, with funding supplied by the Scottish Government.

The current cohort of teachers are from all across Scotland and specialise in different subjects.

Education secretary Jenny Gilruth is set to officially launch the course on Tuesday at the Scottish Storytelling Centre in Edinburgh.

Ms Gilruth said the course is an “important step” towards embedding and protecting the language in Scottish education.

She said: “The Scots language programme is a very welcome addition to both the resources that we have in place to promote Scots and also to the range of support we provide for teachers in schools.

“The course is an important step forward towards embedding Scots language and culture in our classrooms across all levels and subject areas – which is a key part of our commitment to both celebrating and protecting Scotland’s languages.

“It has been encouraging to see the number of teachers already signing up for the course and I look forward to seeing the impact of the course in the months ahead.”

Louise Glen, senior education officer for Languages at Education Scotland, said: “This course emphasises the transformative role of Scots in Scottish schools, promoting multilingual classrooms.”

Meanwhile, Dr Sylvia Warnecke, senior lecturer in languages at the Open University, said the course met a “significant need”.