20% of pupils come from an ethnic minority

Statistics from the DfCSF reveal that a fifth of England's school children now come from an ethnic minority, compared to 11% in 1997. In primary schools, 21.9% are ethnic minority pupils. 447000 primary pupils do not speak English as their mother tongue.

White British children are now outnumbered in primary and secondary schools in 29 of the 150 local education authority areas, including Leicester, Luton, Slough and most London boroughs.

There are concerns that the increasing number of pupils with English language difficulties is putting a strain on resources.

Damian Green, the Conservative immigration spokesman, said it is important to know how many immigrant children starting in British schools can speak the language. He added, "If they can't and they are being taught in overcrowded classrooms, this makes it much harder for teachers to do their job."