UK immigration results in 150 languages spoken in one town's schools

February 09 2010 by Liam Clifford

The English town of Reading is offering cheap language lessons to immigrants and their children to increase the levels of English spoken in local schools.

It has emerged that 150 languages are spoken in the region’s schools, which can put a burden on teachers, claims the local council. Reading Borough Council’s language services are keen to encourage as may migrant families to learn English to enable them to settle in the UK and get on better at school.

English is still the top language spoken as a first language among school children in the town, while other languages in the top ten include Urdu, Hindi, Polish, Punjabi and Nepali.

In light of the challenges facing teachers in Reading, the government language scheme, English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL), aims to provide low-cost lessons to non-English speakers moving to the UK.

Leslie Reilly, head of adult learning at Reading council, explained the scheme: "We have a new approach that is at the very early stages to try to determine where the greatest needs are.”

She continued, “[the lessons] start at just £2.90 for a half-hour lesson with a qualified language teacher and are available to suit the needs of the pupil … our target is to reach more male learners, unemployed people, learners recently arrived in Reading and parents of primary school-aged children.”

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