Does a Language School Need a Social Action Policy?
Your Proof That We Care
We believe every language school should have a clear Social Action Policy.
Every business profiting from selling language, culture, Scotland, or nature should make a clear, public commitment to how it cares for the community and environment that make its work possible.
This page sets out how we take that responsibility seriously at Blue Noun.
When you trust someone with your time, your learning, and your holiday, it’s reasonable to look beyond the offer itself.
How a school treats its community, environment, and staff tells you a great deal about how it will treat you — and your English.
Responsible Tourism: What It Means to Us
We are a Responsible Travel Holiday Provider.
Travel shouldn’t be a one-way exchange. We believe in care, not scale — small groups, authentic encounters, and relationships built on mutual respect.
Culture isn’t something to be packaged and consumed. It’s a living, evolving relationship — and it doesn’t owe us access.
If we are going to share in it, we should also give something back.
At Blue Noun, we’ve created a symbiotic relationship that benefits both our guests and our community.
You get immersive, real-world English practice. Our community gains meaningful cultural exchange, economic support for local artists and businesses, and the preservation of a much-loved historic space in the heart of Crieff.
→ What is Responsible Travel, and Why Does It Matter to Your English Language Holiday?
Our Building Is an Investment in Our Town
Blue Noun is based in a much-loved converted church in the centre of Crieff. It’s a cosy, welcoming space for you to learn and relax, and our presence here is a conscious investment in the heart of our town.
We could have chosen a modern, commercial unit.
Instead, we’ve preserved and brought life to a building that means something to the community.
We’ve made it cosy for learners and designed it for great conversation.
We Offer Real Encounters With Real Culture
At Blue Noun, we teach English through connecting learners to community groups or experts, but never in a way that exploits culture or generosity.
Online and on holiday, you’ll talk to people as individuals, not as “performers” of culture. Conversations happen because we’ve built relationships over time, and because we believe culture is something to be shared, not packaged for tourists.
This is a symbiotic relationship: you grow in confidence and fluency, while your presence supports and enriches the community you’re visiting.
Our local community is invited to take part in social events and workshops.
4. Supporting Local Talent
We host language workshops led by skilled local artists, makers, and guides. (This is work they love as it means they can earn a living from sharing their craft.)
For you, it means benefiting from meeting passionate people genuinely rooted in the place you’re visiting — and having powerful, real-world English conversations while doing it.
Nature Shared With Care
We partner only with local businesses that share nature in non-invasive ways. These are people who protect the environment they work in, ensuring it’s there for future generations to enjoy.
A Healthy Way to Learn
Whether you are joining us online or in person, we take your well-being seriously.
7. Reuse & Repurpose, for Social Good
At Blue Noun, sustainability isn’t a trendy marketing label; it’s how we operate.
Some businesses call it sustainability when they ask you to reuse your towel.
We think you deserve better than that. We’ve thought about waste differently.
Firstly, knowing our language hub sits empty at times, we lend it to selected local artist collectives, community groups, social enterprises, and ethical startups — keeping it alive with creativity, connection and conversation.
We also realised that reusing or rehoming anything of quality could include our teaching resources.
Once we’ve used a lesson plan or activity in-house, we often publish it online for free so English learners and teachers worldwide can benefit.
→ FREE ELT Resources for English Teachers
→ FREE ESOL Resources for English Learners
It’s not just about ‘wasting nothing’ ( an almost always thoughtless claim) — it’s about constantly and strategically ensuring we invest in quality, and what we have goes further than our 4 walls, helping both our local community and the global English-learning world.
For further proof we care: read our blogs:
- Ecotourism in Crieff and Perthshire
- Upcycled Tartan finds a New Home in New Zealand
- Shelf to Shelf | Our Book Exchange Community Event
We Partner with Homestay Hosts
We choose local homestay hosts — the most ecological accommodation option available.
→ Discover How Language Homestay Hosting Works
We Invest in Real Culture, Not Tourist Drivel
As a former artist, I know how to share quality culture — not staged performances for visitors.
Every activity, from a book reading to a craft workshop, comes from the real life of our community.
These are experiences that stay with you because they’re genuine,
For proof we care: read our blogs:
English for Disability
At Blue Noun, we believe responsible tourism is also inclusive tourism. Everyone should have the language tools to travel, work, and connect confidently, whatever their accessibility needs. Our new English for Disability workshop is a private, online 1:1 lesson designed to give you the English you need to travel and express your needs — no matter what your disability. It’s practical, supportive, and tailored to help you feel confident communicating in real-world situations.
For proof we care:visit our booking page
Every Action Matters
From day one, we’ve set out to show that an English language school can do more — for learners, and for the place it calls home.
Our teaching is built around you, not a pre-packaged course. And as we help you grow in English, we make sure our work also brings benefits to our local community.
From lending our space to ethical micro-businesses and community events, to supporting festivals and fundraisers, Blue Noun plays a small but active role in the life of our town.
Your English and your holiday are things we care about deeply — but they’re part of something bigger. We love our business because it’s the vessel we’ve chosen to create positive change.
As we grow, so will the ways we can help — both here in Scotland, and in the English-learning world beyond.
