English As A Second Language Needed For A Record Number Of Students
According to figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, 862,860 pupils in the state system spoke English as a second language in January this year. In primaries, they account for 15.2 per cent of under-11s, compared to 14.3 per cent in 2008. In English secondary schools, 11.1 per cent of pupils speak another language at home, against 10.6 per cent a year earlier.
Figures broken down by area will be published later in the year. But data published in 2008 showed that in 14 local authorities – almost one in 10 – English-speaking primary school pupils were in the minority. In the London borough of Tower Hamlets, only 23 per cent of pupils spoke English as their first language.
