Scottish Languages Act 2025

Chapter 2 School education

40 Scots language education in schools

(1) The Scottish Ministers must promote, facilitate and support Scots language education in schools.

(2) The Scottish Ministers must in particular promote, facilitate and support the provision of adequate education resources in the Scots language for use in school education by teachers and pupils.

(3) An education authority must promote, facilitate and support Scots language education in the schools under its management.

(4) An education authority may discharge its functions relating to Scots language education through teaching and learning in the dialect of the Scots language most relevant to its area.

(5) In this Chapter “Scots language education” means education consisting of teaching and learning in the use and understanding of the Scots language.

41 Guidance to education authorities relating to Scots language education

(1) The Scottish Ministers may give guidance to education authorities relating to Scots language education in schools.

(2) In exercising its functions relating to school education, an education authority must have regard to any guidance given by the Scottish Ministers under subsection (1).

(3) In preparing guidance under subsection (1), the Scottish Ministers must consult—

(a) persons with an interest in the promotion of the Scots language,

(b) persons with an interest in the publication of books and other resources in the Scots language, and

(c) such other persons as they consider appropriate.

(4) The Scottish Ministers must publish any guidance given under subsection (1).

42 Standards relating to Scots language education

(1) The Scottish Ministers may by regulations specify the standards and requirements to which an education authority must conform in discharging its functions relating to Scots language education in the schools under its management.

(2) Regulations under subsection (1) may make different provision for different purposes and different areas (including different parts of the area of an education authority).

(3) Regulations under subsection (1) are subject to the negative procedure.

(4) In preparing regulations under subsection (1), the Scottish Ministers must consult—

(a) education authorities,

(b) persons with an interest in the promotion of the Scots language,

(c) persons with an interest in the publication of books and other resources in the Scots language, and

(d) such other persons as they consider appropriate.

43 Production of school education resources in Scots

(1) When the Scottish Ministers produce any information, guidance or documents in the English language for use in school education by teachers or pupils, they must consider whether also to produce that material in the Scots language.

(2) The Scottish Ministers must, on request from an education authority, consider whether to produce a translation into the Scots language of any material of the type mentioned in subsection (1), including material produced before this section came into force.

(3) In this section, a reference to the Scottish Ministers producing material includes—

(a) that material being produced, commissioned, procured or funded for or by the Scottish Ministers,

(b) that material being updated.

44 Review of adequacy of school education resources in Scots

(1) The Scottish Ministers must keep under review the adequacy of education resources in the Scots language available for use in school education by teachers and pupils.

(2) The Scottish Ministers must from time to time prepare and publish a report setting out the steps they consider necessary to address any issues identified by the review.

45 Reporting on Scots language education

The Scottish Ministers must secure the provision of reports setting out progress made in the delivery of Scots language education in schools.

46 Interpretation of Chapter 2

In this Chapter the following expressions have the meanings given by section 135(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980—

• “area,” in relation to an education authority,

• “education authority”,

• “school”,

• “school education”.