In my school, Scots is not currently taught and there are no planned activities or a formal policy relating to Scots language. From discussions with colleagues, there is generally interest in Scots, but it has not been prioritised within the curriculum. There have been conversations about introducing Scots in the senior phase, particularly through the Scots Language Award, but capacity is a significant issue. The success of the languages department meaning that staffing is tight because of the number of classes for German and Spanish, meaning that and there is no space on the timetable to introduce a new course, and there is limited capacity to develop resources or deliver it.

Attitudes towards Scots are broadly positive within the school, but it is often seen as something additional rather than integral to learning. More widely, there is still some scepticism about Scots as a language, which reflects wider societal attitudes. However, the Scottish Languages Act strengthens the case for Scots and gives it a clearer status in education and public life.

I am currently involved in the Curriculum Improvement Cycle for Languages through my secondment at Education Scotland, where we are developing a framework for Scots within the languages technical framework. This has reinforced the need to position Scots more clearly within the curriculum. I can see clear benefits in terms of literacy, identity and engagement, particularly if Scots is embedded more naturally rather than treated as an add-on.