Schools are pocketing up to £700,000 each to teach pupils who don't speak English as their first language, the Daily Mail can today reveal. Nationally, schools received a record £539million this year to cater for pupils who have English 'as an additional language' (EAL). Other campaigners have called for funding to be explicitly diverted to white working-class children, saying they are being ignored and left to fall behind. Just one in five white working-class pupils achieve a good pass in English and maths, compared to 45.4 per cent across all demographics. A Department for Education spokesman said: 'Every child deserves a high-quality education, including children who speak English as an additional language.

Source: Daily Mail April 04, 2026 19:04 UTC