English language vs Languages in England

The 2008 Annual Schools Census indicates that:

14.3% (466,420) of all Local Authority

maintained primary school children have  

a first language known to or believed to

be a language other than English.
10.6% (349,040) of all state-funded secondary 

school children have a first language known to or believed to be a language other than English.

www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/NationalTablesWeb.xls

Indicative data is also provided for regions of England:

42% of LA maintained primary pupils

and 35% of state-funded secondary
pupils in London are known or believed
to speak languages other than English
as their first language. The percentages
in inner London are 56% and 48%
respectively, and those in outer London
are 35% and 29%.
The percentages of pupils in West

Midlands whose first language is not
English are 17% at primary school
and 12% at secondary school, both
being higher than the average level in

England.

South West and North East have the 

lowest percentages of pupils whose first
language is not English. (South West:
3.7% at primary school and 2.6% at
secondary school; North East: 4.7% at
primary school and 3.0% at secondary

school.)

The percentages of pupils whose first language is not English in other regionsrange from 8% to 13% at primary schooland from 6% to 9% at secondary school.This spreadsheet also includes data by

local authority.

www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000786/LATablesWeb.xls