Bill Wilson MSP

Dr Wilson explained the background to his report:  "The 'Cuddy Brae:  Language at Letham' project in West Lothian revealed the benefits of introducing Scots into the primary school curriculum and combating any unwitting prejudice that teachers might have against the language.  In light of this I wrote to all of Scotland's LEAs to ask about their approaches to Scots language education."

He continued:  "The responses were overwhelmingly positive.  LEAs are imaginative and diverse in the ways they expose pupils to the language.  Scots language appears to enthuse children, enhancing self-esteem, improving literacy, allowing them to develop notions of language diversity and removing barriers to learning, especially for the less able.

"One of the more interesting findings was that the regional diversity of Scots appears to be a positive factor.  Three of the most enthusiastic responses came from Aberdeenshire, Dundee and Shetland, for example, all with distinctive dialects.

"I must admit that I was a strong believer in promoting the Scots language before I wrote my letters to the LEAs, but even a sceptic couldn't be failed to be impressed by what I got back.  It seems that even if improving pupils' English were the only benefit of teaching Scots then that alone would justify the widespread introduction of the Scots language into the classroom.

"Inverclyde and Renfrewshire deserve mention for holding a joint literacy forum of which a major focus was the use and encouragement of Scots in the classroom."

Dr Wilson concluded his remarks by saying, "There is clearly a massive return on investment in the Scots language, or leid, as I prefer to call it.  The question is not whether we can afford to support it and its institutions adequately, but whether we can afford not to.  Scots' richtfu hame is the clessruim!

Notes to Editors

Full report: Scots’ Richtfu Hame — the Clessruim! (Scots Belongs in the Classroom!) A Survey of the Approach to the Scots Language by Local Education Authorities.

Quotes received from LEAs

• "Of great benefit to encourage writing and language development." 
  Aberdeenshire teacher's response to Matthew Fitt workshop.
• "The children really enjoyed themselves and can't wait for the next one!"
  Aberdeenshire teacher's response to Buchan Heritage Society workshops.
• Above reported by Bruce Robertson OBE, Director of Education, Learning and Leisure, Aberdeenshire Council.
• "Teachers and pupils value the opportunity to engage with Scots in their classrooms and improvements in self-esteem and literacy are also apparent, in line with your comments."
• Anne Wilson, Director of Education, Dundee City Council.
• "In Falkirk Council we recognise that teaching and promoting Scots language can remove barriers to learning, particularly for the less able and less confident child."
• Julia Swan, Director of Education, Falkirk.
• "…highlighted how talking and writing in Scots can be a means of increasing pupils' motivation to write and to write more extensively."
• Mike Rosendale, Head of Schools and Community Services, City of Edinburgh.
• "Over recent years our cultural coordinators published a series of poems in Scots written by our own children.  This was a highly effective programme which did much to break down misunderstandings of the use of Scots."
• Gordon McKinlay, Education Manager (Learning and Teaching), Renfrewshire.
• "We encourage our probationer teachers to include dialect in their sessions, particularly if they are non dialect speakers themselves.  The Shetland dialect is a good way into Shetland culture."
• Helen Budge, Head of Schools Service, Shetland Islands.
• "… Allows pupils to be confident and creative in their use of language, and allows them to further develop notions of language diversity."
• David Cameron, Director of Children's Services, Stirling.