e-Sgoil Online Learning Success

e-Sgoil, the Stornoway-based digital learning school creates success stories across Scotland.

14:16 07 June 2021

e-Sgoil, the Stornoway-based digital learning school, is creating success stories across Scotland. 

 

The platform, which was initially founded to address the growing teacher shortage in the Western Isles, has successfully developed into a nationwide community for online teaching and learning. 

 

One student to benefit from the platform is Emily Crawford, who started her language journey through e-Sgoil and won first place at the British Council Mandarin Speaking Competition in May. Emily had never met her teacher for a more traditional instruction but managed to outperform students who have more experience with the language. She was able to take Mandarin by way of e-Sgoil's partnership with Scotland's National Centre for Languages (SNCL), which is run through the University of Strathclyde. 

 

Director Fhiona Mackay said that partnership with e-Sgoil offers opportunities that are otherwise off the table for students like Emily. She said: “It can become a bit of a postcode lottery. For example, with Mandarin – if you happen to go to a school that has a Mandarin teacher, then you’ll have the opportunity to learn it. But the vast majority of Scotland’s students don’t go to a school where Mandarin is on the curriculum.”

 

Angus Maclennan, headteacher at e-Sgoil, who had little experience or interest in technology, says anyone can benefit from the platform. He said: "Yes, of course, you have to have the network. But you can be agnostic as far as the technology is concerned.

 

“It’s about good quality learning and teaching. If e-Sgoil is a dartboard, the bullseye is equity of learning.”