Dyslexia and Gaelic Medium Education

Emma Bolger Dyslexia Scotland stand

Dyslexia Scotland run a network of branches across Scotland which mostly provide information and support to parents of children with dyslexia through events, talks and sharing experiences. 

Having identified a need for specific support for pupils in Gaelic medium education (GME), I contacted Dyslexia Scotland to explore how we can achieve this. Our plan is to create a GME specific branch to expand on support for dyslexic pupils in GME. 





Activity so far
In 2021 we held two online events: 
  • March 2021: first meeting (attended by parents/carers of pupils from the 3 GME schools in Glasgow) which was an informal chance to share good practice and practical tips and raise any concerns or difficulties. Teachers could attend but were not there in a capacity to answer specific questions about individual pupils. 
  • August 2021: session open to all involved in GME on Assistive Tech for pupils in Gaelic Medium Education with CALL Scotland and Dyslexia Scotland. 
We established a small mailing list for those interested in steering this work and discussed the proposals at the Dyslexia Scotland branch network conferences in 2022 and 2023.

In 2022, I conducted a Scotland-wide survey for GME parents and teachers, which you can still contribute to here, on Padlet.

In 2022 a BBC Alba TV programme Eòrpa episode focused on GME and dyslexia. Alongside other parents of dyslexia pupils in GME, I appeared on this programme discussing the challenges of dyslexia and GME. You can watch the programme here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dzyq and you can read an article about the programme here.

Emma Bolger at Mod stall
In 2023, our small steering group met with representatives from Education Scotland and Bòrd na Gàidhlig to plan in relation to resourcing future work. 

In 2023 we ran a stall at the Mòd in Paisley, promoting our project.

At the Dyslexia in Education Conference 2023, there will be a workshop Dyslexia and GME.


The Dyslexia Scotland GME Branch
What is the purpose of the group? 
  • Identify common difficulties encountered by pupils, families and teaching staff which are specific to pupils with dyslexia in GME (for example: Gaelic resources for pupils such as books and assistive technology; equity with pupils in English Medium Education; identification of dyslexia in pupils in GME including variations across Scotland; teacher training; information for parents 
  • To consider our key audience and how to engage with them 
  • Identify good practice, useful research and tools and pool these together 
  • Consider what we could usefully do to help pupils, families and teachers.
  • Any agreed remit would need to be achievable within the group’s capacity, mindful that all branches are volunteer-run
Our steering group is currently seeking routes to secure resource to explore some specific objectives, which include:
  • A comprehensive information leaflet and information portal on Dyslexia and GME
  • Translation of resources into Gaelic
  • Further events
Next Steps - getting involved
We are keen to ensure input from a wide range of people as we establish a wider Dyslexia/GME branch across Scotland to help identify the difficulties, share good practice and work together to collate useful information and resources for parents, pupils and, teachers. 

Mailing list/getting in touch
If you would like to join our branch mailing list, to be kept informed of activity, please complete this form: Mailing List Sign Up

For any other specific enquiries, please contact Dyslexia Scotland via the online form available at https://dyslexiascotland.org.uk/contact-us/ In relation to our GME and dyslexia project, please address your message to Lena Gillies, National Development Officer. 

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