Consultation on a Gaelic secondary school for Edinburgh sets out four options

An informal consultation has been launched on where to site a new Gaelic secondary school in the Capital.
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The current secondary-age Gaelic medium education (GME) unit has to move from its existing base at James Gillespie's High because the school is at capacity with pupil numbers set to grow.

Four options have been outlined by the council, but it makes clear its preference is for a new GME high school to be co-located with a new Liberton High School at the existing Liberton site at a cost of £30 million.

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The other options are a new building with its own campus on the site of the current Castlebrae High School in Craigmillar when Castlebrae moves to its new site, which would cost an estimated £45m; a new building with its own campus at Granton Waterfront with a £50m price tag; and a separate building on the same campus as Wester Hailes Education Centre for £30m.

The council's preference is for a joint campus on the Liberton High School siteThe council's preference is for a joint campus on the Liberton High School site
The council's preference is for a joint campus on the Liberton High School site

The consultation document cites "limited funding options" and "peripheral location" as obstacles for the Castlebrae, Granton and WHEC options and "limited public transport links" as a disadvantage for Castlebrae and Granton.

And it comes down in favour of Liberton.

It says: "The education appraisal shows that the same quality of learning and immersion is possible in a school in either a stand-alone or campus model.

"The financial appraisal shows that the most cost-effective option is for the joint campus arrangement at Liberton and due to the availiblity of land and funding opportunities, it is also the most deliverable within a reasonable timescale.

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"When all these criteria are considered then the Liberton option emerges as the best opportunity. Therefore, the council’s preference is for a separate building on the same campus as Liberton High School."

There are currently 149 pupils in the GME unit at James Gillespie's, dramatically up from 88 in 2016/17, with the number predicted to continue to rise.

Because of the space constraints, the unit is due to move to the council's Darroch annexe in August 2021, but Darroch has been proposed as the home for a second Gaelic primary school in the city, complementing Bun-Sgoil Taobh na Pàirce in Bonnington.

But the consultation document warns: "If the council’s preference [for the Liberton option] is rejected, the main effect will be to temporarily halt the expansion of Gaelic education in Edinburgh. Gaelic secondary provision would remain in Darroch and therefore the building could not be used as a second GME primary."

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The informal public consultation will close on December 11. People can access the consultation document online to submit comments and there will be two virtual public meetings on November 25 and 30. A formal statutory consultation is expected next year.

Education convener Ian Perry said: “We’re committed to expanding high-quality secondary GME in an immersive environment and we’ve been discussing with the GME school communities about the different options for enhancing this provision in the city.

“To put forward a credible case to the Scottish Government for funding, we need to identify a preferred option for the future of secondary GME that has the support of our Gaelic community."

Gaelic parents group Comann nam Pàrant said it welcomed the latest developments as a positive step. In a statement it said: “It is vital parents and carers have their voices heard prior to any formal consultation. We know parents and carers will have many questions and comments and we strongly urge everyone who has an interest in the future of Gaelic Medium Education in Edinburgh to participate in these public meetings”

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