Revealed: the 4000 migrant children in our schools who can't speak English
The Sunday Herald
31 August 08
SCOTTISH SCHOOLS are failing to teach English to the rising numbers of migrant eastern European pupils and will create a generation of new Scots without the most basic grasp of the language, according to a BBC investigation.
Teachers, union leaders and education chiefs claim the Scottish government is failing to provide enough funding for specialists to tutor foreign-speaking pupils, with the latest figures revealing that 138 languages are spoken by 28,000 pupils, and 3595 speak no English at all.
Mother Tongue, to be broadcast on Radio Scotland tomorrow, found only 270 language support teachers for 15,000 migrant pupils, and at one school in the heart of Glasgow's Roma community only 3% spoke English as their first language on enrolment.
The problem is exacerbated by the lack of specialists who can teach English as an Additional Language (EAL) and almost 4000 children began school after the summer holidays with little or no English.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) wants the numbers of pupils without English in any one class to be limited. The teaching union claims the current system places too much strain on teachers, who complain about migrant pupils being "flung" into the education system where they are left to sink or swim when it comes to learning the language - which can take eight years for a child.
Marjorie Bell is a teacher at Annette Street Primary School, which lies in the heart of the Slovakian and Romanian Roma community in the Govanhill area of Glasgow, currently has 79% of its 208 pupils registered as EAL pupils, with 30% from eastern Europe.
Bell last year made an impassioned appeal at the EIS annual conference for the numbers of non-English speaking pupils to be limited in any class to ease the burden on pupils and teachers. Glasgow City Council rejected it as illegal under race relations legislation.
She said: "Although we used to have one or two or three non-English speaking children, to have so many arriving at one time was very difficult to cope with. If you get to the situation ...where almost half your class is non-English speaking, then it really does put incredible strain on the whole class.
"EAL is so under-funded and the bilingual units are usually full. I have a new pupil from Pakistan, with virtually no English language at all, who was put forward for the bilingual unit. She might be lucky to get a place at Christmas, which is a shame because she has to struggle along until then.
"The problem is all over the country because of the increasing numbers of migrant workers.
"At least an element of EAL should be an integral part of all teacher training to raise awareness of the needs of bilingual pupils. It takes eight years for a young person to become truly conversant in English. If a child grows up in a family where English isn't the first language, it takes time for them to develop it as an equal or first language and they will need EAL."
Bell cautioned that more research is needed to assess how many migrants plan to stay long-term in Scotland before the impact of the education failures can be predicted on the economy. "I think significant numbers of people view working in Scotland as an opportunity to make enough money to enjoy a better lifestyle back home, but under the United Nations charter all children have the right to an education. Teachers want to do their best for the children in their care."
According to Polish community leaders in the Highlands, there are 2.8 language teachers throughout the region, which allows Polish children with language problems only 15 minutes a week of teaching.
Zosia Wierzbowicz-Fraser, chairman of the Inverness Polish Association, claimed the Scottish government had not thought through how to deal with the influx of Polish people and added: "It should have been more thoughtfully analysed and prepared and infrastructure set up before this avalanche."
Geography master Fraser McCallum, who teaches at Drummond High in Edinburgh - which traditionally has a strong base of foreign language speaking pupils - said pupils are "flung in" and expected to cope with the language difficulties.
He said: "You know that the pupil should be attaining better, but obviously has a barrier to their learning. It's frustrating for the pupil as well that they are not able to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding.
"The kids are flung into the education system and I know there's an immersion theory of throwing them in and hoping they will pick up the language."
Colleague Douglas Forlan added: "My fear is we're going to send the kids out into a work environment where they aren't going to get the job they deserve and doesn't match their ability. It's economic suicide."
The EIS fears cutbacks to education budgets will mean even less funding for EAL support. Labour-run Glasgow City Council claims the government has not provided extra funding to cope with the increases in migrants and asylum seekers after £1.3 million provided by the previous Labour administration was stopped.
Schools minister Maureen Watt defended the amount of funding provided under an agreement signed last year which allows authorities more responsibility for running services. She said: "Over the next three years, the amount of money given to local authorities has increased by 13% and local authorities have told us that the amount they have been given is enough to resource education, develop skills teachers need to enable them to teach EAL."
Mother Tongue is broadcast at 9.05am tomorrow on Radio Scotland 
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