LANGUAGE AS BELLWETHER?

As a teacher for over forty years, I have taught many English-as-second-language students from all regions of the world.  Most of these students work very hard.  But one has more than 10% of the class with limited English, the native-English speakers in the class get shorter shrift.   Therefore, this February 24, 2013 article in the Daily Mail (UK) gave me pause:

Gladstone Primary is believed to be the first in Britain where every single one of its pupils does not speak English as a first language, but more and more pupils across the country are now from foreign backgrounds.

In a 2012 census of 1,600 schools, it was found English-speaking children are now in a minority, with the figures particularly startling in the 14 inner London boroughs, where there were 98,000 non-native English speakers compared to 78,000 who could list the language as their number one.

Nationwide, there were 97 schools where the number of pupils speaking English as a mother tongue was fewer than one in 20 of the school population.

After London, Birmingham had the highest concentration of 'foreign' pupils, followed by Bradford and then Leicester.

Punjabi was the most widely-spoken first language.

Punjabi is one of the primary languages of Pakistan.

Also from the article:

Peterborough is one of Britain's prime immigration hotspots and just down the road, another school, Beeches Primary, can tell a similar multi-cultural story.

Of its 592 pupils, there are 23 different native languages, with only 24 having English as a primary tongue.

Tim Smith, the headteacher, said Britain's ever-changing society meant more than 150 pupils leave and join every year, as families, especially from eastern Europe, move away from the school's catchment area as and when they get offered bigger accommodation.

The Tory MP for the city, Stewart Jackson, said Peterborough would not be able to cope with a fresh influx of people and urged the city council to reconsider proposals to accept large numbers of families being moved from London due to the government's housing benefits cap.

But Mr Parker said: 'Britain has always been a country of immigration. You only have to watch Who Do You Think You Are on TV to see how many famous people have their origins away from the British Isles.

'Our pupils will grow up wanting to play cricket for England...and support England and Pakistan.'

The UK is undergoing a major shift in demographics, and Muslims are a huge factor therein. What will the UK be like in ten years?