Nearly one in ten pupils in Scotland do not speak English as their main language, with almost 200 different tongues spoken in classrooms across the country, according to recent Scottish Government figures. This marks a significant increase from fewer than 10,000 pupils in 2006 to nearly 60,000, a record number.
The growing linguistic diversity has placed an increasing strain on schools. In Glasgow, approximately one-third of children have English as an 'additional language' (EAL). Across Scotland, 198 languages are now spoken in schools. Figures from two years ago showed 58,153 pupils with EAL out of a total of 702,428 pupils, representing about 8% of the student population.
Languages recorded include Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Russian, Nepali, Farsi, Lithuanian, and Telugu. In 2024, 10,570 pupils were classified as 'new to English,' and 13,145 as 'early acquisition,' with others at various stages of proficiency.
The EIS teaching union has developed resources, such as an online guide, to assist new arrivals. The guide translates basic terms into languages including Arabic, Polish, French, Pashto, and Dari. Previously, the EIS union had warned that declining specialist provision and reduced support levels in classrooms were exacerbating challenges for children with EAL.
Teachers are reporting increased difficulties in ensuring non-English speakers are not left behind, particularly in large or disruptive classes, with some resorting to using visual aids to gauge students' abilities. One Edinburgh teacher noted that EAL pupils often arrive in waves, with a wide range of backgrounds including Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Polish, Romanian, and Ukrainian children. This can set back their educational progress, with language barriers potentially taking up to a year to overcome. The teacher also observed a more than doubling in requests for additional assessment arrangements, such as extra time or dictionaries in exams, over the past six years.
Politically, the figures have drawn commentary. Reform UK leader Nigel Farage previously described the situation in Glasgow as a 'cultural smashing,' a claim that First Minister John Swinney has labelled as 'racist.' Glasgow has become a significant destination for asylum seekers, partly due to Scottish housing rules that require councils to house all unintentionally homeless individuals, including single men, a policy differing from England's focus on 'priority need' groups.
Scottish Tory MSP Meghan Gallacher expressed concerns about the impact on teaching resources and community cohesion, suggesting that changes to housing policies have added pressure to schools and local services. She called for increased resources for local authorities to manage essential services and strengthen community cohesion.
The Scottish Government stated that it is supporting children and young people with additional support needs, including EAL pupils. The government highlighted a record spend of over £1 billion by local authorities on additional support needs in 2023-24 and provided £186.5 million to local authorities to maintain teacher numbers, resulting in an increase for the first time since 2022. Scotland reportedly maintains the lowest teacher-to-pupil ratio in the UK.