London: Almost one-in-five pupils in primary education in the UK do not have English as their mother tongue following a sharp hike in the number of foreign-born pupils, according to official figures.
The number of schoolchildren speaking English as a second language soared to a record high of more than one million this year amid a continuing rise in immigration, The Telegraph reported.
Official figures show that almost one-in-five pupils in primary education now speak another language in the home following a sharp hike in the number of foreign-born pupils over the last 12 months. In inner London, native English speakers are now in a minority, with the proportion as low as a quarter in boroughs such as Tower Hamlets, Newham and Westminster.
Across England, the number of children who do not have English as their mother tongue has increased by 54,000 in the last 12 months.
The number stands at almost 1.1 million in 2012/13, the report said. Figures suggest that the proportion of children starting school with English as a second language has now doubled since the late 90s.
The disclosure, in data from the Department for Education, comes amid concerns that a rise in the number of immigrants is having a significant affect on public services.
It follows the publication of data showing that an extra 250,000 primary school places are needed within the next year, with immigration and rising birth rates cited a major cause of the shortage.
Some head teachers have complained that budgets set aside to teach children from immigrant and refugee backgrounds have been cut, leaving them struggling to buy in specialist support for pupils. (PTI)