Burgh Scot Talent

Burgh Primary has been shortlisted for ‘Scots School of the Year’ at the Scots Language Awards being held in Ayrshire later this month. The nomination recognises efforts of staff and pupils to promote Scots to the pupils and help children better connect with the language.

Last November Burgh was chosen to host the launch of the ‘Lets Explore Oor Richts’ book and teaching resource as part of a campaign by Scotland’s Children and Young People’s Commissioner to help young children begin to understand their rights, including their right to speak their own language. Burgh pupils also won the town’s Scots Language Trophy for schools in January for the efforts of pupils reciting poetry and stories linked to Robert Burns.

The Scots Language Awards recognises excellence in promoting Scots and will be held in Cumnock Town Hall on 14th September with winners being decided by an online public vote. The awards also recognise the growing cultural interest in Scots with Census data published earlier this year showing the number of people who speak or understand Scots increasing to 46.2% from 37.7% in the 2011 version.

Now people across the Borders are being encouraged to vote online to help the school bring the award back to the region. Voting runs until Sunday 8th September and you can support the school here Scots Language Awards 2024 Voting Form Survey (surveymonkey.com)

Burgh Head Teacher Kirsty Hadden said:

‘We are really delighted to have been shortlisted for this award and the children are very excited that our school is being recognised nationally. We do a lot of work around Scots between St Andrews Day and Burns Night and it was fantastic when the Children’s Commissioner asked to launch her book at Burgh. We have a diverse school community and numerous languages are used at home so we always try to ensure that pupils learn about different ways of communicating. Scots words have echoed in school playgrounds for hundreds of years and this was a unique opportunity to also put them at the heart of children’s learning in the classroom. Voting is free, online and all you need to cast your vote and back the Burgh is a valid email address. I hope people in Gala can take a few moments out of their day and support our school.’