3-18 Gaelic Medium Provision – Inverness - Feasibility Study

Tender description

The Highland Council is currently considering its options regarding the future of the contractual arrangements for 3-18 Gaelic Medium provision in Inverness. As part of our fact-finding process, The Council is inviting a number of suppliers to provide information requested in the attached "Request for Information" document. It is hoped this will assist Council staff in shaping their requirements for the future, understanding the current market and future developments, and developing the best value strategy for any future procurement. The Highland Council is committed to growing the number of children and young people involved in Gaelic education, language and culture and for continuing to improve attainment in Gaelic Medium Education across the whole of the Highlands. The Council is looking to commission a study to explore what steps need to be taken to deliver sustainable expansion of 3-18 Gaelic Medium Education specifically in Inverness. An associated benefit should be to develop a fuller understanding of the approaches that could be also adopted across Highland to expand Gaelic Medium education and sustain and grow Gaelic in other Highland communities. What is required: - Review of current delivery model of GME within Inverness City and investigate potential delivery models including the development of a standalone 3-18 campus - Comparison for strengths and challenges of different models of expansion including transition implications if provision is re-located away from existing schools - Understanding of parental demand and how this might be impacted by the options identified - Location and impact on catchment; consultation; planning; and transport - The pupil journey - transitions from the experience of learners and their families; learner pathways from 0-3 to ELC, ELC to Primary into BGE and on into Senior Phase; continuation of curriculum delivery through the medium of Gaelic attainment and educational outcomes; employment pathways - Sustainability in terms of pupil projections; teacher supply, retention, training and support; and curriculum availability and development - Financial assessment - capital, revenue funding and ongoing costs - Physical environment – and what this can look like to support an immersion experience i.e. What is best for pupils to enhance their learning experience. - the role of the Highland Virtual Academy - Identification of potential next steps in relation to the National Gaelic Plan and the development of the Council’s Gaelic Language Plan 4. - Produce a report on findings