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Pupils with English as second tongue at 27pc
Wednesday 12th August 2009, 11:30AM BST.
Children who speak English as a second language now make up almost 27 per cent of pupils in one Black Country borough, according to new Government figures.
In Sandwell schools, 26.9 per cent of children have a different mother tongue, while in Birmingham the figure is 41 per cent of children and in London and Slough more than half of children speak a different first language. Across the country, English is a foreign language to more than one in seven primary youngsters, almost half a million.
In other areas, including Leicester, Luton and Bradford the proportion is approaching 50 per cent.
The figures released by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, highlight major demographic changes over the past few decades.
The number of ethnic minority pupils is up 11 per cent from 1997.
Sir Andrew Green, from the Migrationwatch thinktank, said the figures confirm the “huge” impact that immigration is having on society.
He added: “In inner London it is hard to know who immigrant children are supposed to integrate with since they heavily outnumber local children.”
Schools in the Black Country are forking out thousands of pounds to pay for interpreters for children who do not speak English.
The schools receive a nominal fee from the Government but the amount of money they receive is worked out per pupil using a formula, meaning that schools with high numbers of pupils coming in from abroad are still having to fork out around £25 an hour for interpreters.
Richard Kentish, head at Cape Primary, Smethwick, has said they have pupils from 18 different nationalities with languages including English, Somali, Urdu, Russian and Albanian and employ bilingual classroom assistants.
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Glad I got out when I did.
The official government figures is for the indigenous white population of Birmingham will be in the minority by 2012.
Those figures are based on the ones they know about !!
Good Luck
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When the children are at school all lessons should be given in English without exception. This will encourage their learning of the English language and hopefully benefit their parents too!
After all, when in Rome……….
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“Those the gods wish to destroy they first make mad. We must be mad, literally mad… a nation busily engaged in heaping up its own funeral pyre.”
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Where’s the problem? So what if they speak another language, this is about evolving, breaking down invisible barriers and uniting.
Peace, Love and Equality for all regardless of colour, race, religion, African, Indian, English etc
One Love
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I suspect the true figure is actually much higher, along with the unemployment and homless figures.
We are in a very desperate situation.
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It is liberals like no.4 that are part of the problem here, especially if they get into the current incumbent government or local politics. They tend to look at the bigger picture and not the specific issue, trying to appease all, which is not practical.
When trying to educate young people in this country it benefits all if the lessons are taught in one language only. Bearing in mind this is the UK, then English is the sensible choice every time.
I reiterate, when in Rome……
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In certain primary schools with high a % of ethnic minority pupils,the focus of the teaching and support staff is taken away from children with English as their first language,to the point of being virtually ignored.
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Woody you may still be living in the 1950′s but believe it or not this is the year 2009. People are evolving continuously, you may have been left behind.
This is not about language, skin colour, religion etc, but about realising we are all one, all human beings and every human being is equal to you and I, even the africans dying of starvation.
It is closed minded folk like you that are the problem, you are trapped in your little fishbowl unable to see the big picture.
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Sounds like Woody doesn’t view these pupils with English as a second tongue as human, he thinks they are sub-human.
Woody will be the first to fight for free speech unless it’s a “foreigner” speaking their mother tongue, that is totally unacceptable.
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If this is a bigger drain on resources than teenage pregancies..why isn’t it being addressed? I think you might know the answer..
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Whats wrong with a second language? I don’t hear anyone moaning about the Welsh here!!!Oh no not that Race and religion card again eh????
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Nick, I live in the rea world. One where resources are limited and funding is not readily available.
Yes, we live in a world that is constantly evolving, but one has to be practical. Hence, when teaching the national curriculum in this country, it should be done so in English. No-one benefits from trying to teach or learn in a variety of lnguages in te same lesson. That is why French, German, Spanish are taught seperately!
This education model of one language in one school works well in France, so why shoud we be any different?
I find your assumption of me totally incorrect. I feel it is necessary to give all youngsters, no matter what their colour or kin, the best possible chances for the future. English is an international language so surely this will help all.
I see the bigger picture in an unbiased way, unlike yourself….who may be the one who has just escaped the goldfish bowl and is trying their hardest to keep everyone happy in an apologetic manner.
You will learn that you can’t please all the people all of the time, life is about choices and making a difference is a positive way, which may at times may upset a few along the way.
However, I am sure you will berate this comment and have to have the last word….. Because that is the type of person you appear to be?
FYI: I will not respond because I will not be moved on this subject, if you live in a country then you should be expected to grasp the national language of that country if you decide to live and bring up a family in the country of your choice.
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Love your philosophy Nick, beautiful.
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Faye, how wrong you are. I do not class anyone as sub-human, which is a horrible statement.
I believe everyone is equal, no matter where they were born, colour of skin, language, rich or poor, or their religious beliefs.
The point of this story was to highlight the amount of pupils who speak English as a second language and the practicability of this in schools. Hence my view that because of the diversity in lanaguages it is practical to teach in English, which happens to be the language of this country. It also ensures parity to all pupils.
Or should I be embarrassed to dare to suggest such a thing? I am not suggesting that anyone should “lose” their mother tongue, all I am suggesting is during lesson time the prime language spoken is English. What is wrong with that?
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Woody in comment 6 you wrote and I’ll quote
“They tend to look at the bigger picture and not the specific issue”
and then in comment 12 you write and I’ll quote
“I see the bigger picture in an unbiased way”
LOL, Please make your mind up.
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