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One in seven pupils has English as a second language
Tim Ross, Education Correspondent18 Mar 2009
The Government today said it was trying to "bring students weak in English up to speed" after it emerged that one in seven primary school pupils does not have English as a first language.
Shadow immigration minister Damian Green said the increase in the number of pupils for whom English was a second language was making life difficult for teachers, parents and pupils and called for limits on immigration.
A Department for Children, Schools and Families spokesman said: "The language of instruction in English schools is and always has been English. We are increasing funding in the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant to £206million by 2010 to bring students weak in English up to speed. We also equip schools to offer effective English-as-an-additional-language teaching for new arrivals, with a comprehensive support package."
Figures uncovered by Mr Green are said to show 565,888 primary pupils do not use English as a first language, compared with 452,388 in 2004. In some areas, fewer than 30 per cent of four- to 11-year-olds do have English as a first language.
In secondary schools, 10.6 per cent of pupils normally speak a foreign language, up from 8.8 per cent in 2004. Mr Green said: "The figures show why we need an annual limit on immigration."
Reader views (19)
No one can learn all languages, that is why it is necessary for the common language to be the local one. It is a bit silly to suggest that Brits (or any other nation's home grown nationals) should have to learn different immigrant's languages so that the immigrant need not bother him/herself! Even with this failed 'multi-culturalism' that Labour are so fond of, surely simple logic should have some relevance!
- Rogan, Irving, 19/03/2009 05:03
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Well done, Watson. Xenophobia is alive and well, I see!
But it seems to me that you could do with a few English lessons yourself, given the howlers in your spelling.
For starters, there's no hyphen in bilingual...
- Jock, London, 19/03/2009 03:45
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Damian Green is wrong to use this as an excuse to limit immigration. Taking his logic further, he would reduce the problem by mass deportations to reduce the problem. Talk about jumping on bandwagons.
The bigger problem is the failure to teach these people English, which is what the Government are trying to do.
It doesn't matter what somebody's first language is as long as they are fluent in English.
Don't forget that many of our own "Home bred" children speak a version of English that is unintelligible to the majority of adults. Where will Damian Green deport these people to?
- Andrew, London W1, 18/03/2009 22:19
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"The indigeneous children are disadvantaged as a result.
Since large scale immigartion started the school has slowly but surely slipped down the ratings"
What ratings? These kids are indigenous, just not the colour you'd prefer them to be. Not exactly a Sherlock in the thinking dept are you watson?
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 18/03/2009 21:05
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Shirley is right and Keith Price is the one who does not realise that the Welsh are bi-lingual.
At a school near me 23 languages are spoken and there are only two additional teachers to help.
The indigeneous children are disadvantaged as a result.
Since large scale immigartion started the school has slowly but surely slipped down the ratings
- Watson, London UK, 18/03/2009 17:50
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Whose children will suffer while the teachers are struggling to bring foreign children up to speed - oh yes, people like me"
What a silly comment Shirley. Most of these children are British citizens but, like the Welsh, have a home language other than English. Since when has this been a problem?
- Keith Price, Luton, England, 18/03/2009 15:58
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The frightening thing is not that it's their second language, but that they speak English so badly as to cause problems in the classroom. Children who grow up in a multilingual environment normally become fluent in all the languages spoken around them by school age. So what it means is that their parents are forcing segregation from English society upon their children, and creating social problems by so doing.
- Nigel, London, 18/03/2009 14:45
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Whose children will suffer while the teachers are struggling to bring foreign children up to speed - oh yes, people like me. Immigrants MUST be made to pay for their own learning of our language and if they don't then they should have to leave. It does nothing for integration to have whole swathes of the community speaking no English.
- Shirley, London, 18/03/2009 14:38
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I am sure this number is way higher in certain parts of London.
- Brandon Thomas, SW7, London UK, 18/03/2009 14:31
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It is not worth the time and money required to teach them English - there will be no English speaking people in Britain in 20 years time.
- R.F., Yorks, UK, 18/03/2009 14:23
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This is the best news I've heard for ages. Cotinental european kids are bi- or even tri-lingual. About time our kids spoke more than one language.
- Dhanraj, basildon, 18/03/2009 14:15
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Its the government's fault, letting everyone in, we are full up, fed up. This is England, shut the gates now for your children's sake. (their indentity and heritage)God bless the United Kingdom.
- Yvonne, harrow Weald, 18/03/2009 14:04
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Someone should tell their parents this is England and we speak English. This is what happens when you have Labour's open door policy for 12 years. Soon there will be no true British culture
- Trevn, Abu Dhabi, 18/03/2009 13:47
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The sooner we have a general election to sort out the mess the country's in.
- Joe, Swanley Kent, 18/03/2009 13:37
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These families may not know the lingo but they know about the ins and outs of benefit claiming all right!
- Steve, London, 18/03/2009 13:32
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A command of the English language should be a pre-requisite for entry to schools. -For non-English speaking pupils, attendance of language classes should be compulsory before they are considered for admission to mainstream education.
Otherwise, surely the pace of learning of the whole class suffers?
- Huggy, Cumbernauld Scotland, 18/03/2009 13:24
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Well I'm guilty of this in another country. Initially it was a bit controversial that, after researching the subject, I continued to use only English at home (unless French people visit) so that my 6 yr old would learn both languages: it's taken him a bit longer, but he's steaming along now. My advice to parents in this situation in the UK would be to try your utmost to expose your child to native speakers of the language: only watch TV in English (including yourselves); organise play-dates with native English-speakers; compel your child to attend after-school activities and join local sports clubs so that they really mix in. Show your children that you're trying too: be impressed and proud of them learning new words that you didn't know; make the effort (it can be hard) to make friends with native English speaking people and ask them how things are done, what etiquette are you perhaps not aware of - invite them round for dinner. Heck: integrate!
There are a lot of Brits here, trust me, who don't do these things: they just pitch up and expect their kid to go to school and learn French on the job without any effort themselves. Most of them are surprised that things are not made easier for them and sneer at the French way of doing things and you wonder why it was they chose to live here in the first place . . .
- Roz, Chamonix, France, 18/03/2009 13:13
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I dread to think what this Country will be like in another 10-20 years time
- Mike, London England, 18/03/2009 10:54
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Why pay for them to learn the language of the country they are living in. Blame the parents who can't speak more than one word in English.
- Dc, London, 18/03/2009 10:04
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