Almost 200 languages spoken in Scottish schools with a record number of pupils speaking English as an 'additional' one

By GRAHAM GRANT, SCOTTISH HOME AFFAIRS EDITOR Published: 19:24, 11 August 2026 | Updated: 19:24, 11 August 2026 Nearly one in ten pupils in Scotland do not speak English as their main language with almost 200 different tongues spoken in classrooms. The figure has risen from fewer than 10,000 back in 2006 to nearly 60,000 – a record number, according to the Scottish Government. It has also emerged 198 languages are spoken in the country’s schools, placing them under growing strain amid a migrant influx and sparking warnings of a looming ‘crisis’. The disclosure, which comes as thousands of Scottish children return to school after the summer break, follows earlier statistics showing around one in three children in Glasgow have English as an ‘additional language’ (EAL), which Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described as a ‘cultural smashing’ of the city, dubbed Britain’s asylum capital. Scottish Tory MSP Meghan Gallacher said: ‘This development does raise concerns about the impact on teaching resources and community cohesion. ‘The SNP’s decision to scrap the local connection rule when it comes to housing provision has made matters Glasgow, in particular, a magnet for migrants, adding to the huge pressures on schools and local services. ‘Nationalist ministers must give councils the resources to deliver essential local services and strengthen community cohesion before this turns into a crisis.’ Scottish Tory MSP Meghan Gallacher has said changes to social housing rules have added to pressures on schools and local services  The Scottish Government figures show that two years ago, 58,153 pupils had EAL in Scotland – compared to 57,262 the previous year – out of a total of 702,428 pupils, about 8 per cent of the total roll. The number of EAL pupils in 2006 was 9,486. Languages spoken in Scottish schools include Arabic, Punjabi, Urdu, Bengali, Hindi, Russian, Nepali, Farsi, Lithuanian, and Telugu (the official language of India’s Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states). In 2024, some 10,570 pupils north of the Border were classed as ‘new to English’, and 13,145 were classed as ‘early acquisition’, while the others were at varying levels of proficiency including ‘developing competence’. The EIS teaching union has produced an online guide for children who are new arrivals called Going to School in Scotland, for P5-S3 pupils, which translates basic terms such as toilet, uniform and coat into Arabic, Polish, French, Pashto and Dari. The guide states: ‘If none of these is your language, you can choose to say or write down each word in your own language.’ Bosses of the EIS, which declined to comment on the latest EAL figures, have previously warned that ‘dwindling specialist provision has led to reduced levels of support in our classrooms where there are rising numbers of children and young people with a widening range of additional needs, including those who require EAL support’. Teachers confronted with pupils who cannot speak fluent English may have to use flashcards with pictures of objects to determine the pupil’s level of ability. While foreign youngsters can sometimes be among the keenest to learn, without classroom assistants teachers can find it difficult in busy or disruptive classes to ensure that non-English speakers are not left behind. A state secondary school teacher in Edinburgh, who did not want to be named, said: ‘We have a large number of EAL pupils, and they tend to come in waves. ‘We have Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Polish, Romanian, Ukrainian children – a very wide range. ‘It may take them a year to get up to the required standard so language issues can set them back on their journey. ‘We are seeing a very steep rise in children who request additional assessment arrangements, which have more than doubled in the past six years – so for example, requesting extra time and a dictionary during an exam.’ In December last year, John Swinney accused Mr Farage of peddling ‘racist views’ after the Reform UK leader claimed immigration had led to the ‘cultural smashing’ of Glasgow. The number of schoolchildren in Scottish schools listed with EAL has risen Mr Farage hit out after it was revealed that almost a third of children in the city have English as ‘an additional language’. The proportion rose from 22.5 per cent in 2019 to 29 per cent in 2024, when 20,717 of 71,957 pupils in the city’s schools did not speak English as their main language. Among those whose main home language is not English in Glasgow schools, the top five languages spoken are Urdu, Arabic, Polish, Punjabi and Mandarin. Opposition figures described the findings as ‘staggering’ and said they highlighted the SNP’s failure to integrate immigrant communities into Scottish society. Glasgow Reform UK MSP Thomas Kerr has said previously that Mr Swinney’s ‘continuous demonisation of political opponents isn’t just silly, it’s extremely dangerous’. He said: ‘In a world where we have witnessed political leaders face violence due to ridiculous language, the First Minister should know better.’ Glasgow is already accommodating more asylum seekers than any other local authority in the UK. Refugees are thought to be drawn to the city by Scottish rules requiring councils to house all unintentionally homeless people, including single men, not just those in ‘priority need’ such as families with children, as is the case in England. Homeless refugees are reported to have travelled from as far as Belfast, Birmingham, London, Manchester and Liverpool to get to the city. The Scottish Government said it was ‘ensuring that children and young people with ASN [additional support needs], which includes pupils where English is an additional language, are supported’. It said there was a ‘record spend of over £1billion by local authorities on ASN in 2023-24’. A spokesman said it had provided £186.5million to local authorities to protect teacher numbers ‘resulting in an overall increase in the number of teachers for the first time since 2022’, adding: ‘Scotland also continues to have the lowest teacher ratio of anywhere in the UK.’