Our changing future

English is not the first language of one in eight schoolchildren according to a new government survey. As of January 2007, 85,000 children spoke Urdu and 70,000 Bengali as their preferred tongue.

These numbers show that Britain is changing. Our society is becoming more diverse in both face and tongue. However, because English will always be this country’s first language these thousands of children who do not speak English as their mother tongue, need to be equipped with the language skills that are required to flourish both educationally and in the workplace.

The educational establishment needs to start giving serious thought to how these pupils’ English skills can be brought up to the mark. For too long, this problem has either been ignored or viewed through the distorted lens of multiculturalism. But continuing inaction will only contribute to a lack of integration.