Applecross was once a mainland stronghold for Gaelic. Even a few decades ago, it was still the dominant language.
Now there are only a few fluent speakers in the community, although a small group of children and their parents offer hope of a revival.
However, their efforts to arrange Gaelic medium education (GME) for eight P1 and P2 pupils are being hampered by a shortage of teachers.
A new attempt is being made to attract a teacher to Applecross Primary after a previous recruitment bid was unsuccessful.
Applecross Gaelic teacher post re-advertised
In March, Applecross parents were the first in the Highlands to use new legislation to request an assessment of the need for GME.
Highland Council subsequently advertised for a teacher with the aim of starting a Gaelic unit by the start of the school term in August.
It has had to re-advertise the post, which has a salary of £28,113-£42,336. The deadline for applications is September 12.
There is even a video to attract applicants.
Applecross is searching for a new Gaelic Medium teacher for our lovely wee school! This will be a newly formed Gaelic Medium class of P1 and P2s. Could this exciting new job be for you?https://t.co/qGn06qaR7w#achomraich #applecross #NewGaelicMedium #Gaidhlig #sgoinneil pic.twitter.com/1yjGQqzHgn
— Roslyn Clarke (@RoslynJClarke) August 30, 2022
Applecross parent Roslyn Clarke said, having gone through the assessment, the community is now keen to get a teacher in place.
‘This could be a turning point for the community’
“The council has been really helpful and supportive. We’ve just fallen at the last hurdle.
“It’s getting a teacher in place that’s proving tricky.
“It seems to be a theme across the country that there is a shortage of Gaelic medium teachers as they are in high demand.
“Getting a teacher would be amazing. There is great interest in reviving the language.
“It would be a turning point for the community. This would spur on Gaelic locally and have a knock-on effect on parents and grandparents speaking and learning the language.
“It would make a big difference and encourage people to learn more about our culture and history.”
How many Gaelic speakers did Applecross once have?
Applecross is known locally in Gaelic as A’Chomraich – ‘The Sanctuary’.
According to Applecross Heritage Centre it was a Gaelic-speaking community for most of its long history.
The 1891 Census shows 95% of the Applecross population spoke Gaelic, with 56% in the townships of Camusterrach and Culduie monolingual Gaels.
The 1872 Education (Scotland) Act, which introduced compulsory schooling but excluded the teaching of Gaelic, helped accelerate the language’s decline in many Highland communities.
Despite this, 72% of Applecross’s population was still Gaelic-speaking in 1961.
However, numbers dropped to under 20% by 2001 and have since fallen further.
Highland Council’s Gaelic chairman Councillor Calum Munro welcomed the Applecross parents’ initiative.
However, the council currently has six Gaelic teacher vacancies among its 125 Gaelic staff.
In addition to Applecross, it is advertising for GME teachers in Fort William, Lochcarron, Castletown and two in Skye.
It also has two vacant Gaelic learning assistant tutor posts and an early years practitioner job vacant.
Teacher shortage an obstacle to expansion of Gaelic
Mr Munro added: “The availability of GM teachers has been the biggest obstacle to a more rapid expansion of GME in Highland.
“This is in the context of a national shortage which has persisted for years.”
He welcomed a recent commitment by development agency Bòrd na Gàidhlig to work with Highland and Argyll and Bute councils in the coming year to address the issue.
The Scottish Government said it is committed to supporting access to Gaelic medium education for those that wish to have it.
A spokeswoman said Gaelic teachers are vital to its success and is working with partners to help those entering the sector, including the new Gaelic additional teaching qualification at Strathclyde.
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