The number of Bradford school children who do not speak English as their first language has soared by more than 1,200 in a year as hundreds of extra pupils pack into the district’s schools.

New data released by the Department for Education reveals a total of 27,582 pupils have first languages other than English. That equates to 43.1 per cent of primary pupils and 30.3 per cent at secondary schools.

Bradford teaching union chiefs are insisting more investment is needed to bolster the number of teachers and support staff.

Pam Milner, deputy secretary of the Bradford branch of teachers’ union NASUWT, called for ministers from the newly-formed coalition Government to visit the city and see why education needed to be protected from the proposed £6 billion public spending cuts.

“We are at a crossroads,” she said. “And I would like to see the top people coming to Bradford for a flavour of what’s happening here, and meet with unions and the Council so we can say to them this is what we need here, you have the power to do something about it before we go into meltdown.

“I know some schools have been asked to take extra pupils but it’s still a huge problem. We haven’t got enough capacity or teachers and if we don’t address the situation, with more people coming into Bradford, it will only get worse.”

Ian Murch, Bradford branch secretary of the National Union of Teachers, and Stuart Herdson, Bradford branch secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, backed her call. Mr Murch said: “Pupil numbers in Bradford have persistently risen by more than anyone thought they would and they continue to do so.

“There is a massive need for investment in school buildings or there’s a real danger of going back 15 years when a significant proportion of children were taught in temporary classrooms in playgrounds. This has already started.”

Mr Herdson said: “Certainly someone from the Government should come and look at all the big cities. They need to come and see what’s going on.”

Sara Rawnsley, head teacher of Princeville Primary School in Shearbridge, Bradford, where a minority of pupils speak English as their native tongue, has agreed to an intake of 90 children to reception in September, up from 60 last year.

She said: “There is a big strain about the number of places.”

Sue Colman, Bradford Council’s assistant director of learning services, said: “Where necessary, additional accommodation has been provided at schools to cater for the increase in numbers and the Council’s executive recently-approved increasing the admission numbers at several primary schools across the district.

“Additional places are also being provided in secondary schools through the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme.”