Gaelic education expansion set to cost city up to £4.3m

THE cost of Gaelic education in the Capital will increase by up to £4.3 million over the next eight years if council bosses choose to open a dedicated school, it emerged today.

Education leaders plan to put their proposals out to public consultation in the new year.

Two options are being put on the table - the creation of a dedicated Gaelic school in the old Bonnington Primary or the expansion of the existing Gaelic Medium Education (GME) unit within Tollcross Primary.

Education chiefs admit that both options will be expensive and will be "extremely difficult" in the current financial climate.

However, they have been forced to look at the provision of Gaelic education in the city due to the increasing numbers of pupils in Tollcross's GME unit.

New figures reveal that running costs would increase by 4.3m over the next eight years if the new school gets the go-ahead or 3.2m if the unit at Tollcross is expanded.

The council also faces significant building costs with both options. Refurbishing and upgrading the Bonnington site, which has been closed for two years, will cost 1.46m, not 600,000 as previously estimated.

The Scottish Government has indicated to the council that an application for funding for the work to Bonnington would be "favourably received". Expanding Tollcross Primary to create four extra classrooms would cost 1.7m, however, it is unlikely that the Scottish Government would finance this.

In a report due out today, education director Gillian Tee said: "The costs associated with expanding GME provision will increase the children and families department's total budget costs regardless of which option is chosen.

"This additional provision represents budget growth and would be a matter for the council to find savings from within its overall budget to deliver.

"In the current financial context this will prove extremely difficult."

Ms Tee will be asking councillors this week to vote in favour of putting the plans out to public consultation with a view to implementing one of the options by August 2012.

Although maintaining the status quo is not being specifically given as an option for future GME primary provision, Ms Tee has stated that the council "could ultimately decide on this course of action should it so wish".

City education leader Marilyne MacLaren said: "The council has strongly supported Gaelic education for many years and growing demand is evidence of the success of our approach.

"Increasing demand does, of course, bring increasing financial pressure and, whichever option we take, it's going to cost more money.

"There will also be an impact on other schools and other pupils in the city and we need to be mindful of that."