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Primary school where just 26 out of 700 pupils speak English as their first languageJust 57% of children in Bradford area speak English as first language
140 different mother tongues spoken in the city's schools

By Emily Allen

Last updated at 9:49 AM on 28th February 2012

Just 26 out of 700 pupils at a British primary school speak English as their first language, it has been revealed.
At Byron Primary School in Barkerend Road, Bradford, 93.6 per cent of schoolchildren use another language as their mother tongue.
About two thirds of the pupils are of Pakistani heritage,
a quarter are Bangladeshi and the rest are of White British or mixed heritage.

Pupils learning at Byron Primary School. New figures show just 57 per cent of children in the Bradford area speak English as their first language
It comes as new figures show just 57 per cent of children in the Bradford area speak English as their first language.
All in all there are 140 different mother tongues spoken in the city and about 23,000 out of 54,146 youngsters use foreign dialects.

Only London, Slough, Luton and Leicester have higher proportions of non-speaking English children.
More than a third of children in Bradford whose first language is not English speak dialects of Panjabi with Urdu, Bengali and Hindko, which is the sixth main language of Pakistan, among other common mother tongues.

There are also significant numbers of pupils speaking Eastern and Northern European languages such as Slovak, Polish, Latvian and Russian as well as other Asian languages including Chinese, Burmese and Filipino.
The information was revealed following a Freedom of Information request to the local authority.
However, despite the challenges facing teachers at Byron Primary School, it is in the top 25 per cent of schools across the country.

Pupils in year six, aged 10 and 11, achieved the standards required in English and maths, exceeding the Bradford and national averages.

When the school was last inspected by Ofsted in 2010 inspectors rated it 'good'.

Head teacher Richard O�Sullivan described the situation as an opportunity, rather than a problem.
Head teacher Richard O�Sullivan described the language situation as an opportunity rather than a problem
He said: �The majority of our children start school with levels of English language development that are below national averages.
�However, many of these children are exceptional linguists with the ability to switch between languages. By Year Six, thanks to fantastic teaching, confidence and ability in English have developed and the learning skills acquired as very young linguists contribute to pupil progress.
�Figures last year showed children were leaving here in line with the national average for maths and above the national average for English.�
At Byron Primary School in Barkerend Road, Bradford, 93.6 per cent of schoolchildren use another language as their mother tongue
Councillor Ralph Berry, Bradford Council�s executive member for children and young people, said some schools were working hard to expose pupils to well spoken English at every possible opportunity so they could become familiar with the language as quickly as possible.
He added: �There are a number of primaries that have had language diversity that have been rated good and outstanding by Ofsted and children leave with the required standard in English and maths.
�The schools with the greatest challenge are those that have children coming in at different points in the year. I am aware we need to do more to get certain language skills into staffing.
�We have been here before 20, 30 years ago and you need to work with it. I know it�s a challenge but these children only get one chance at primary education.�
Councillor Roger L�Aime, education spokesman for the council�s Conservative group, said it was essential children became fluent in English as soon as possible.
He said: �All Bradford children by a fairly early age must be fluent speakers in English because if they are not it�s obviously going to be a limiting factor on both their education and job opportunities and their ability to become integrated members of the wider community.�
Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, leader of the council�s Liberal Democrat group, said: �The quality of the language they are learning is what matters. Parents need to take and read to their children at home. It�s part of the challenge and opportunity living in a city like ours brings.�
A first language other than English is recorded where a child was exposed to a different language during early development and continues to be exposed to this language in the home or in the community

This is serious, and will happen in every school in the country unless we stop immigration completely now, and ensure that everyone already here from other countries learns to speak English. We have to do this for the sake of our own children and grandchildren who are being held back by children who can't speak our language,
No better still we will have to remove them from our country if they do not speak English.

2Anne · Joined: 04 May 2008 Posts: 399 Location: Norfolk

Bradford like most large Inner City areas is a pit.
The place is heaving with third world foreigners. What can be done?
Mass repatriation but with Camerloon and the Labour Party this will never happen.
I heard of a child whose parents necessarily live in London and when they took him to school the headmaster(who was English)warned he would be the only white child and English was not spoken. In the event this family have to board their child out with grandparents in the week so he can go to an English speaking school.
Even in a quiet town like where I live in rural Norfolk black faces are turning up in the schools and boy can these people breed!!

Athelstan I · Guest

Athelstan I · Guest