Boost for Scots language

Boost for Scots language

Supporting Scots teaching, literature and media.

Eleven organisations are set to share £650,000 as part of a drive to grow the Scots language across the country.

Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes announced the funding on a visit to Bill and Bain printworks in Glasgow where she unveiled a new Scots language children's book. The Auchtermichty Aw-Stars is being produced by Scots Hoose Yaldi and features three Scots language plays about a youth football club. It is part of a series of Scots books and comics which will be printed and distributed to hundreds of schools and nurseries through the investment.

Census figures published last year found that 35% of people aged 15 or under had some Scots skills, an increase of 6% from 2011.  

Other initiatives receiving support include: 

• new Open University courses to help teachers introduce Scots into their lessons
• the Dictionaries of the Scots Language project, which aims to detail the origins and meanings of every known Scots word
• Doric Film and Scots Radio, which promote the broadcast of Doric, a form of Scots spoken in North East Scotland, across television, film and radio

Ms Forbes said: 

“These plays are part of a series of free Scots books, comics and poems which aim to provide young people with a better understanding of the language so that it can continue to grow.  

“Scots is a treasured part of our history, heritage and culture. It enriches communities and research shows that learning the language benefits young people's literacy skills and confidence. 

“The funding represents a £150,000 uplift compared to last year. To grow Gaelic and Scots, we also brought forward the Scottish Languages Act to establish Scots and Gaelic as official languages and introduce teaching standards for Scots.” 

Matthew Fitt, a co-owner of Scots Hoose Yaldi, said:

“For many children and young people, reading a story or comic in Scots for the first time can be a transformative learning experience.

“We work very hard to improve Scots language provision for young Scots speakers in Scotland's schools.

“It's good to be recognised by the Scottish Government for our efforts, especially if it means we can help more young Scots speakers enjoy and learn about their own Scots language.”

Background 

Since 2023, Scots Hoose Yaldi has sent more than 30,000 free comics and books to more than 500 primary and secondary schools in Scotland. Past comics have brought to life the works of famous Scots writers including Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson and Sir Walter Scott.

Census statistics show that 2,444,659 people in Scotland had some Scots skills in 2022, an increase of 515,215 from 2011. The number of people aged 15 or under with some Scots skills was 260,356 in 2022, an increase of 48,310 from 2011.

Information about the Scottish Languages Act is available from the Scottish Parliament's website online. 

Organisations benefiting from the Scots Language Development Fund in 2025-26 include: 

• The Association for Scottish Literature has been allocated £31,400 to provide professional development and support materials on Scottish literature and languages for teachers and students.
• The Dictionaries of Scots Language benefits from £231,000 to maintain and develop Dictionaries of the Scots Language Online.
• The Doric Bord has been provided with £15,435 to offer advice to government, the media, public bodies and non-profit organisations on matters relating to Doric.
• Scots Radio has received £22,100 to use their programming to develop the next generation of Scots speaking media producers and reach wider audiences.
• Doric Film Festival has benefited from £22,000 to continue to produce and run the annual Schools Festival, created as a platform to celebrate the Scots language and culture and encourage its use among young people.
• Scots Hoose Yaldi has received £88,900 to print and deliver free educational resources to schools and nurseries and run outreach sessions in schools.
• The Scottish Book Trust has been allocated £57,250 to film new Scots Bookbug Sessions, launch an online module for Bookbug Session Leaders and deliver the Scots Publication Grant to support new writing in Scots.
• The Open University benefits from £84,984 to deliver online professional development courses which will enable teachers to introduce Scots into their lessons and to carry out a research study into the effectiveness of the programme.