Key Points:
- One in 15 councils in England now reports a majority of pupils whose first language is not English.
- Department for Education (DfE) data shows 66% of pupils in Newham, 63% in Harrow, and 63% in Brent speak another language at home.
- Nationally, 1.8 million pupils — one in five — are non-native English speakers, up from 1.1 million a decade ago.
- Critics say soaring immigration and multilingual classrooms threaten social cohesion.
- Migration Watch UK warns English could become a minority home language within 40 years.
- Glasgow has the highest figure in Scotland with one in three schoolchildren not speaking English as a first language.
- Schools face pressure to allocate limited resources for translation, interpreters, and language support.
- The Government is under pressure to ensure English-speaking pupils’ education is not hindered.
- Some research indicates bilingual students may outperform native speakers.
- The Home Secretary has launched new immigration measures tightening asylum and settlement rules.
English is no longer the first language for the majority of pupils in one out of every 15 English councils, new data reveals, highlighting how immigration and shifting demographics are reshaping classrooms across England.
The Daily Mail reported, citing new figures from the Department for Education (DfE), that in 11 of England’s 153 local education authorities, more than half of schoolchildren speak a language other than English at home. The languages range from Urdu and Polish to Panjabi and Arabic.
According to Daily Mail journalist Josh White, the borough of Newham in east London tops the list, with 66% of pupils speaking a foreign language at home. Harrow and Brent follow closely, with 63% each.
Why has the number of non-English speaking pupils surged?
The DfE data shows that nationwide, the number of pupils who do not speak English as their first language has surged to 1.8 million – representing around 20% of all pupils in England. This figure stood at just 1.1 million ten years ago, pointing to an increase fuelled by sustained high levels of immigration.
As Daily Mail analysis highlighted, “Fuelled by immigration having spiralled to all-time highs, this rise underscores the impact of long-term demographic change.”
Immigration continues to reshape Britain’s population composition. In London, high inward migration and birth rates among migrant families have significantly increased the share of multilingual households.
How do experts perceive this rise — opportunity or threat?
Opinions vary sharply.
As reported by David Barrett of the Daily Mail, Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, warned that society’s “cohesion is at serious risk.” Mehmet stated:
“English has long been the glue that holds our society together, helping new arrivals, myself included, integrate into British society. But assimilation, when families wish to assimilate — and not all do — becomes far harder in classrooms where children are multi-ethnic, multilingual, and English is not the main language spoken at home.”
Mehmet further cautioned that if current trends continue, “English could well become a minority home language nationwide within the next 35 to 40 years.”
How do these figures compare across the UK?
The issue is not confined to England. In Glasgow, known as Britain’s “asylum capital”, one in three schoolchildren does not speak English as their first language — the highest rate in Scotland.
A Daily Mail Scotland report cited local politicians as calling the figure “staggering”, expressing concern over the strain placed on schools and public services.
In contrast, rural and coastal regions are far less linguistically diverse. In Northumberland, just 3% of pupils speak another language at home, according to the same DfE dataset for the academic year 2024–25. Redcar and Cleveland followed with 4%, while Cornwall stood at 5%.
What impact does this have on schools and education?
Schools in multicultural areas are increasingly under pressure. According to the Daily Mail’s coverage, teachers and administrators report tighter budgets due to rising demands for translation services, voiceovers, subtitled educational materials, and in-class interpreters.
Robert Bates of the Centre for Migration Control told the Daily Mail:
“It is sadly inevitable that English-speaking students will suffer, through no fault of their own, as a result of these huge language barriers. The pace of teaching will be set by those with a less firm grasp of English, and resources will be directed away from those who are fluent and towards supporting those for whom it is a second language.”
Bates added that “language is an acute expression of culture” and argued that the figures “demonstrate the utter transformation seen in many London boroughs in just a few decades.”
Are children who speak English as a second language disadvantaged?
Not necessarily, say some education experts. Research indicates that many pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL) can achieve strong results — sometimes outperforming their native English-speaking peers.
The effectiveness often depends on linguistic proximity: languages closer to English phonetically or grammatically (such as German or Dutch) tend to result in smoother transitions.
However, as one Education Policy Institute report noted (as cited by Daily Mail), pupils who enter education without prior English exposure may initially struggle to keep up academically and socially until language support interventions take effect.
Should the Government intervene more directly?
Some campaigners believe targeted government involvement is essential. Chris McGovern, chair of the Campaign for Real Education, previously told the Daily Mail:
“The Government should publish the data regarding the language of pupils in each school and ensure that non-native speakers do not outnumber native speakers of English. This will benefit all pupils and allow our society to become more integrated, harmonious, and at peace with itself.”
The DfE defines a pupil’s first language as “where the pupil has been exposed to a language other than English during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community.”
How is the Government responding to migration and education pressures?
This debate comes amid a broader clampdown on immigration announced by the Home Secretary, Shabana Mahmood, in November 2025. As reported by John Stevens for the Daily Mail, Mahmood revealed plans to reform the refugee system significantly.
Under the new “core protection” model:
- Refugees will initially be granted 30 months’ leave to remain instead of five years.
- An application for settled status will only be possible after 20 years in the UK, up from the current five-year threshold.
- There will be no automatic right to family reunion for refugees under the core protection system.
- Asylum seekers may no longer receive housing or weekly allowances automatically. Those able to work or with assets will be required to contribute to their upkeep.
- Families with children who have exhausted their legal appeals could face enforced returns.
Mahmood argued that these measures were aimed at restoring public confidence in the immigration system and reducing strain on public services, including education.
