New research has revealed a significant shift in the linguistic landscape of England's schools, with English no longer being the first language for the majority of pupils in one out of every fifteen local councils.
Data Reveals Widespread Linguistic Shift
The analysis of Department for Education data, covering the 2024/25 academic year, found that in 11 of England's 153 local education authorities, children predominantly speak a language other than English at home. Languages commonly spoken include Urdu, Polish, and Panjabi.
The trend is most pronounced in London. In the east London borough of Newham, 66% of pupils do not speak English as their mother tongue. Similarly high figures were recorded in the capital's boroughs of Harrow and Brent, both at 63%.
Nationally, the scale of the change is substantial. 1.8 million schoolchildren – equating to one in five pupils across England – now speak a first language that is not English. This marks a sharp increase from 1.1 million just a decade ago, a rise closely linked to record levels of immigration.
Pressure on Schools and Fears for Cohesion
The demographic shift is placing considerable strain on school resources. Institutions are having to redirect limited budgets to support pupils with lower English proficiency. This includes funding for translated materials, subtitling, voiceovers, and even in-class interpreters.
Teachers have reportedly expressed concerns about the mounting pressure from mass immigration, calling for increased government funding to manage the array of languages now present in classrooms.
Critics warn that the situation poses a fundamental risk to societal integration. Alp Mehmet of Migration Watch UK stated, 'English has long been the glue that holds our society together... But assimilation becomes far harder in classrooms where children are multi-ethnic, multilingual.' He projected that English could become a minority home language nationwide within 35-40 years if trends continue.
Robert Bates from the Centre for Migration Control echoed these concerns, arguing that native English-speaking students may suffer as teaching pace and resources are adapted. 'Mass migration and the twin ideology of multiculturalism are harming the people of this country,' he told the Daily Mail.
A Divided National Picture
The data paints a geographically divided picture. While urban centres like London show extremely high rates, other areas remain largely monolingual. In Northumberland, only 3% of children do not speak English as a first language, with Redcar and Cleveland (4%) and Cornwall (5%) also recording very low figures.
The issue is not confined to England. Recent figures showed that one in three schoolchildren in Glasgow – dubbed Britain's 'asylum capital' – do not speak English as their first language, a figure described by one politician as 'staggering'.
Some campaigners, like Chris McGovern of the Campaign for Real Education, argue the government must intervene in schools where non-native speakers outnumber native English speakers to ensure integration and harmony.
The publication of this data follows Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood's recent announcement of a crackdown on illegal immigration. Her proposed measures include reducing initial refugee stays from five years to 30 months, extending the time before settled status can be applied for to 20 years, and removing automatic rights to family reunion for some refugees.
