Written question asked by David Lidington (Conservative) on Wednesday, 15 November 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 20 November 2006. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 21 November 2006 on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office.

School Pupils

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government's policy is on helping schools in Northern Ireland cope with the growth in the number of pupils whose first language is not English.

Answer: The Department of Education's policy for children whose first language is not English or who have significant difficulty with English will be completed and issued for full consultation in December 2006.The total allocation, for English as an additional language provision in 2006-07, is £3.4 million for some 2,700 children identified as having significant difficulty with English as an additional language. DE has given the five Education and Library Boards earmarked funding of £834,000 for 2006-07 and schools just over £2.5 million through the Common Funding Formula. In addition, £100,000 has been allocated for interpreting and translation services through the Children and Young People's Funding Package to commence establishing access to interpreting services and provide key documents in various languages for teachers, EAL pupils and their parents.

Secondary information