Lewis - Education

Education

School education in Lewis is under the remit of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, there are a total of 23 schools covering the 5-18 age range. Unusual features are the prevalence of Gaelic medium education (offered in 15 of 22 primary schools) and the five 2-year secondary schools in communities outside Stornoway. Pupils who attend the rural 2-year secondaries then move to the Nicolson Institute, the only six-year secondary school on the island. The large number of village schools lead to necessarily small rolls, and further recent falls in pupil numbers have led to plans being drawn up for closures including all of the rural secondary departments. The closure plans have been deferred pending a full review, but upcoming changes to the curriculum (a change to a 3 year junior secondary structure) would seem to place the rural secondaries under threat of change if nothing else.

Stornoway is home to a small campus of the University of Stirling, teaching nursing, which is based in Ospadal nan Eilean (Western Isles Hospital). There is also a further education college, Lews Castle College, which is part of the UHI Millennium Institute. The college is the umbrella organisation for other vocational and community education, offered in several rural learning centres as well as on the main campus and covering subjects such as basic computer skills, Gaelic language classes and maritime qualifications.