English is a second language for 10,000

ALMOST 10,000 pupils across Oldham do not speak English as their first language.

According to Government figures, 6,146 primary school children do not have English as the mother tongue — 33.9 per cent of all pupils.

Oldham has the third highest percentage across the North of youngsters who speak another language at home — behind Blackburn and Manchester — and double the national average.

Figures for secondary school are lower at 22.8 per cent — 3,614 pupils.

A grant set aside to help language skills among foreign pupils was abolished by the coalition Government and now money is devolved to councils to spend as they see fit.

Numbers have slightly increased across the borough in the past year with 2009-10 data showing 32.1 per cent of primary pupils in Oldham and 20.6 per cent of secondary school age students speaking English as a second language.

Councillor Hugh McDonald, cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “Oldham Council manages teaching English as a second language extremely effectively but is not complacent about the need to continuously improve provision.

“Much of the resources for the teaching of English as a second language has been delegated down to schools to ensure that it is targeted exactly where it is required, and supported by a small team of experienced staff.

“Oldham Council also runs a new- arrivals service to ensure that pupils are assessed at a very early stage and that their needs are identified and managed as soon as they arrive.

“This is seen as a highly-effective service by children and schools.”

Nationally, Department for Education (DfE) data for 2010-11 shows 16.8 per cent of primary school pupils speak another language at home, up from 15.2 per cent the previous year, and 12.3 per cent of secondary school students, compared with 11.1 per cent in 2009-10.

A DfE spokesman said: “We have given local authorities complete freedom over their schools budgets so they can target services and funding to bring students up to speed in English quickly.

“The Pupil Premium directs funding specifically at the poorest pupils to give them the teaching support they need.

“Having English as a second language doesn’t always mean that English skills are necessarily poor.

“It only shows the language to which the child was initially exposed to early on at home, irrespective of whether they speak English fluently later on.

“The evidence is clear that once English is established, children catch up and even overtake their peers.”