Renfrewshire Council has allocated over £130,000 this year to transport children and young people outside the area for Gaelic medium education. A total of 25 pupils—eight in primary six and seven, and 17 in secondary school—are being transported to schools in Glasgow or Inverclyde at a cost of approximately £132,808 for the 2024/25 academic year.
The figures were revealed in a report presented to the council’s education and children’s services policy board on Thursday. Councillor Gillian Graham, Labour group education spokesperson, expressed shock at the amount, calling it “an awful lot of money.”
“When we have 34% of mainstream pupils with additional support needs and the Scottish Government is cutting equity funding, people will look at this and think, ‘Are we really spending £133,000 to bus pupils out of Renfrewshire? Are you kidding?’” she said.
Councillor Graham acknowledged that the spending is currently discretionary but warned that future legislation could make it mandatory. She added that many residents would question the high cost.
Renfrewshire Council is working to expand Gaelic medium education within the area. This includes exploring options for early years provision and secondary education. Currently, a Gaelic unit at West Primary School in Paisley serves 13 pupils from primary one to five. The program, which began in August 2022, is growing, with nine more pupils registered to join in 2025/26.
However, two primary five pupils are set to start high school in August 2027 and may need to be transported to schools in other council areas. The council has pledged to continue working on secondary provision and supporting parents during the transition process.
Responding to Councillor Graham’s concerns, Gerard McLaughlin, head of education, agreed that transporting pupils out of the area is not ideal. “Why would we want to waste money on transporting children when we can keep them within our own council?” he said.
However, SNP council leader Iain Nicolson criticized Councillor Graham’s approach, accusing her of pitting one group against another. “If her point was about saving money on transport costs, that would have been fine,” he said. “But it was a thinly-veiled attempt to criticize those who want to learn Gaelic, rather than focusing on the cost.”
The debate highlights the challenges of balancing cultural education with financial constraints, as the council seeks to meet the needs of all pupils while managing limited resources.
