GLASGOW schools welcomed 252 new international students in January.

New figures show the wide variety of countries and cultures settling in the city with Glasgow boasting the UK's largest English as an Additional Language Service (EAL) to cope with the influx.

Between 2000 and 3000 overseas pupils arrive each year.

In January alone schools in the North East welcomed 75 international students, the North West received 86 and 91 settled in the South.

Maria Walker, Head of Service of the EAL Service in Glasgow, said: "We have 30 secondary schools in Glasgow, although the Gaelic School is slightly different, so if you look at the 29 secondary schools in the city, every one has at least small numbers of children enrolling from other countries.

"For some schools this is quite a new thing. The east end of the city, for example, or the north east, have historically had very, very few EAL children but now a lot of people are moving to these areas because these are where they can find accommodation.

"You also tend to find that Polish people are Catholic and so there are substantial numbers of Polish children in our Catholic schools."

Ms Walker says Glasgow has the largest EAL service in the UK with 140 full time and part time teachers.

From the city-wide figures, the highest numbers of new international students were enrolled in three primary schools in Govanhill.

Holy Cross Primary had the most, at 17, while Cuthbertson Primary came next with 10 and St Bride's had eight.

New enrolments there come from as far away as Belize and Cameroon.

So far in the academic year 2015/16, the highest number of pupils have come from Romania and second from Poland.

Third is India, fourth is Saudi Arabia and fifth is Italy.

Ms Walker said the number of international students arriving in the city spikes in the autumn as overseas students arrive for the new university year and bring their children with them.

She added: "Most of the schools are now getting a lot of experience in dealing with having very multi-cultural schools.

"A main focus is making sure that children feel welcome and settled. She always make sure there is an interpreter at the first meeting so we can find out as much information as possible.

"Children also have an assessment to find out their level of English and education. Some might come with a bit of English because they've picked up from watching TV in their home country or they have learned English. Others will speak none at all.

"We also find out their first language skills as, if they are up to speed in their first language, teachers can use things like Google translate to make sure they can access the curriculum.

"If they have learned a lot of maths then that can be a great way to help their self-esteem. Maths is the same in any language, an equation is always an equation, so this means they can participate in class - they just need to learn a few new words.

"If they have skills already then it's really good if they can use these skills. Polish children, for example, tend to be much further ahead in maths so that's a real boost for them."

Glasgow City Council began collecting data on the number of children enrolling from overseas in 2008.

Since then, numbers of international pupils have increased year on year.

Numbers of Romanian immigrants have been increasing since 2008 but for the first time the country tops the league table for the highest number of children.

Youngsters enrolling in Glasgow schools in January come from as far afield as Venezuela, Ethiopia and Brazil.

Since the register began, new pupils have settled in Glasgow from places such as the Ashmore and Cartier Islands; Bouvet Island; Christmas Island; the Coral Sea Islands; and the French Southern and Antarctic Lands.

They've also come from the Heard Islands and McDonald Island; Paracel Islands; Peru; Sao Tome and Principe; Suriname; and Spratly Islands.

Ms Walker said: "In one school the English class was reading The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, which is set in Auschwitz. A group of Polish children came from a town near to Auschwitz and had been there so were able to bring that to life for the class.

"Even if their English is not very good, they can bring in photographs or talk a little about what things were like, or perhaps say that their mum can come in and talk to the class.

"At another school in Drumchapel, there was a large number of pupils from Afghanistan and Pakistan who had grown up playing cricket. For the first time, the school cricket team won a competition against local private schools and more affluent schools.

"So, there's a real practical element to it.

"But it's also about learning to understand where we are in the world in broader terms. It brings an understanding of different religions and cultures but also learning that no matter where we are from, we are all the same.

"Working and studying together brings tolerance."

Liz Cameron, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Lifelong Learning added: “The diversity and many cultures in our classrooms across the city make Glasgow the wonderful city that we have become known for and the fact that our children and young people can all learn from each other.”