23/04/2025
The data schools collect on pupils with English as additional language (EAL) for the School Census every year tell us that in 2023 around 20% of pupils has EAL. That is very curious. The national School Census figures for ethnicity tell us that just under 63% are White British and 1.5 % are of Caribbean heritage. It is fair to assume that these pupils live in households where English is pretty much the only language spoken. So presumably more than a third of pupils have English as an additional language? No, the recorded figure is just over 20%. Who are the other pupils? A handful might come from an English speaking country such as Australia or New Zealand, but an overall figure of 15% who are not EAL but not from a White British or Caribbean background just doesn’t add up.
The figures also vary hugely by region. In the least diverse parts of England (the North East and South West) the figure the Others is under 10%. In the most diverse region, London, it is over 25%.
What is going on? The Department for Education’s definition of for school census purposes is that “a pupil is recorded as having English as an additional language if she/he is exposed to a language at home that is known or believed to be other than English.” The DFE also says: “It is not a measure of English language proficiency or a good proxy for recent immigration.” Yet we still do not record the data accurately. Perhaps some schools ask parents: “What language do you speak at home?” That does not encourage parents to mention all of the languages spoken in the home.
Does it matter? If we want to celebrate the strengths and gifts all of our pupils bring to school, yes. If we really want to value our multilingual learners and identify them all effectively, perhaps a better question for schools to ask might be: “What language does your child speak to their grand-parents in?”
Schools that do not record all of their EAL pupils also miss out on funding for them.
