It has been a busy week for the Department of Education, Skills and Children’s Services. As part of the Department’s ‘Gaelic Week’ the ‘Splaoid’ buses have been on the road all week. From Monday 11th November the bus for Lewis and Harris has travelled to Harris, Uig, the West Side, Lochs, Point, Back and Stornoway. It was a busy week for Yvonne Irving in Uist and Barra with visits to Bayhead, Castlebay, Lochboisdale and Benbecula.
The vans have been on the road for just over a year in an effort to engage with our Gaelic communities and promote Gaelic Medium Education. Funding was obtained from the Scottish Government, as part of their Capital Grants Scheme, to enable the purchase of two vans to support the work of Early Years and our partner agencies to enhance Gaelic learning for 0-3 year olds across the Western Isles. Children, their families, our Sgoil Àraich settings, Pàrant is Pàiste groups and other groups to make use of the vans to learn Gaelic in a fun and engaging way.
The interior of the vans are an engaging play and learning area and certainly there was plenty of that evident over the last week! Elaine Poke, Early Years Curriculum Teacher at Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, commented:
“It’s been a pleasure to be out on the road this week to celebrate Seachdain nan Gàidhlig – even though every week of the year is Gaelic Week to us in many respects. It is a great source of encouragement to see young people engaged in learning and singing in a fun, safe environment. I would say the hardest part of the day is trying to get everyone off the bus – nobody wants to go home or back to class after a session!”
If you would like to find out more about a visit from one of the buses or more about Gaelic Medium Education, please contact Evelyn Coull MacLeod, Gaelic Education Manager, on evelyn@gnes.net.
