UK: English is now minority language in 1,300 schools

... leaving teachers struggling to cope
17th December 2007, Daily Mail:

English is the second language among children in 1,300 British schools, it emerged.

The figure reflects the increasing pressure that immigration is having on the education system, say experts.

In one district of London, almost nine out of ten schools have an intake where the mother tongue is not English for a majority of pupils.

The statistics, obtained from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, highlight a problem which needs immediate action, teachers say.

It is estimated that the cost of educating a non-English speaking pupil could be as much as £30,000 a year.

This compares with £4,000 for a primary school child whose mother tongue is English.

Philip Parkin, general secretary of the Professional Association of Teachers, said: "There's been an explosion in numbers of children without English as their first language in the last couple of years." ...

Mr Parkin said: "To have one child who does not speak English is hard enough for a teacher to deal with, but when you have 20 or so, then that really is a problem." ...

The total number of schools in England where a majority of pupils do not consider English as their first language is 1,338. ...

Mr Parkin said: "There is no additional funding for a child with little language skills, which is effectively a special need." ...

"As far as I know, nothing is being done to look at these issues."

Via VFR.

If they don't speak English then I guess you can say those areas are not English.

Yeah, yeah, I'm going ...