The Office for National Statistics provides a breakdown of the UK population by ethnic background and religion. The information is based on data from the 2001 Census. Visit www.statistics.gov.uk
Ethnic minority population of schools
According to the January 2003 pupil census, at least three in four primary pupils, and four in five secondary pupils, still fit the description "white British".
Asians from the Indian subcontinent form the second largest ethnic group in schools. They account for more than 7% of primary children and 6% of secondary pupils. Children of Pakistani origin are the biggest Asian group in primaries, but Indians outnumber Pakistanis in secondaries. Primary schools now have more black African pupils than black Caribbean children, however, there are similar numbers from both ethnic groups at secondary level.
Despite Britain's quarter century membership of the EU, and the recent influx of asylum seekers from Eastern Europe, only 2% of pupils are from "other white backgrounds".
(ONS, 2004)
The ethnic population of Scotland and Northern Ireland
In 2006 the Independent provided a useful summary of ethnic minority populations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Scotland:
- The total minority ethnic population is just over 100,000. This is an increase of 62.3% in the past decade.
- The largest non-white group in Scotland is people of Pakistani origin, with 31,793 people- two thirds of 1% (0.63%)
- The second largest non-white group in Scotland is people of Chinese origin- 16,310 people- one third of 1% (0.3%)
Northern Ireland:
- There are 14,279 non-white people living in Northern Ireland from a population of 1.68 million- less than 1%
- Chinese are the largest non-white community, numbering 4,145 people
- Asian communities - including Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi- number 2,679, while black communities number 1,136
(Independent, 6 October 2006)
Percentage of pupils in the UK gaining five or more grade A*- C at GCSE:
| |
African-Caribbean |
Indian |
Pakistani |
Bangladeshi |
Other Asian |
White |
| 2005 |
41.7 (Caribbean)
48.3 (African) |
70.1 |
43.2 (boys) |
52.7
|
81 (Chinese) |
55.1 |
| 2004 |
35.7 (Caribbean)
43.3 (African)
|
66.6
|
45
|
41 (boys) |
74.2 (Chinese)
|
52.3 |
| 2003 |
- |
65.2 |
41.3 |
- |
74.8 |
51.3 |
| 2000 |
37 |
62 |
- |
30 |
70 |
50 |
| 1998 |
29 |
54 |
- |
33 |
61 |
47 |
(Office for National Statistics, 2004; DfES, 2006)
Higher education and ethnic minority achievement
In 2004, men of Bangladeshi and black Caribbean ethnicity were the least likely to have a degree (11% for each group). Among women, Bangladeshi and Pakistanis were the least likely to have a degree (5% and 10% respectively).
The groups most likely to have a degree were Chinese (31%), Indian (25%), and white Irish (24%), compared with 17% of white British people. However, a relatively high proportion of Chinese people had no qualifications (20%), compared with 15% of white British people.
Bangladeshis and Pakistanis were the most likely to be unqualified. Five in ten (49%) Bangladeshi women and four in ten (40%) Bangladeshi men had no qualifications. Among Pakistanis, 35% of women and 29% of men had no qualifications.
(Office for National Statistics, 2004)
School exclusions
In 2003/04 pupils from black Caribbean, other black, and mixed white and black Caribbean groups were among the most likely to be permanently excluded from schools in England. The permanent exclusion rates for pupils were: other black (42 pupils per 10,000), black Caribbean (41 pupils per 10,000), and mixed white and black Caribbean (37 pupils per 10,000). This is three times the rate for white pupils (14 pupils per 10,000). Chinese and Indian pupils had the lowest exclusion rates (2 or less pupils per 10,000).
(ONS, 2004)
There is no official source giving a detailed breakdown of how many people in the UK have English as a second language or the ranking of community languages spoken in the UK.
In 2007, the Telegraph reported on figures from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, which showed that children with English as their first language are a minority in over 1,300 schools in England. The figures mean that one in 20 schools now have native English speakers as a minority and 600 of these schools have fewer than a third of native English speakers. Following patterns of immigration, children for whom English is an additional language are heavily concentrated in certain areas of the country. The 20 councils with the highest concentration of such pupils are in London.
In 2001, the Department for Education and Skills (then DfEE) commissioned a report looking at the needs of people whose first language is not English focusing on barriers to employment, education and training. Their key findings reported:
- There are no reliable data on the number of people living in Great Britain whose first language is not English. This causes serious problems with the planning and delivery of education and training provision.
- At least three million people living in the United Kingdom were born in countries where English is not the national language.
The 2001 Census in England and Wales collected information about ethnicity and, for the first time, religious identity, a combination that can give some indication of home language. The data showed that while the population is more culturally diverse than ever before, White Christians remain the largest single group by far, comprising 36 million people (nearly 7 out of 10) of respondents. Information on the Census findings is at www.statistics.gov.uk.
While the Census does not ask about languages spoken, the team in 2001 carried out consultations with local authorities in order to decide which languages forms and information leaflets should be translated into. Their research indicated the following languages: Albanian/Kosovon, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese, Croatian, Farsi/Persian, French, German, Greek, Gujerati, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Serbian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese.
More information on the languages spoken in the UK is provided by the National Centre for Languages (CILT) at www.cilt.org.uk/research/statistics/index.htm.
Languages spoken in schools
For the first time, the School Census (formerly known as the Pupil Level Annual School Census (PLASC)) in January 2003 required schools to return data on pupils' ethnic background, using categories specified in the 2001 national Census in England. At this time, many schools were also collecting data on pupils' first language, but were not required to return detailed data on which languages were spoken as part of the school census.
Following consultation, from 2007 the school census will include details on pupils' first language.
For more information visit www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/ethnicminorities.
20 most common languages in London schools, 2006
Research has revealed that more than 300 languages are spoken by children in London's schools, making the capital the most linguistically diverse city in the world. Although English remains overwhelmingly the most common first language, for more than a third of children it is not the language they will speak or hear spoken at home.
| Language |
Approx. total |
| English |
608, 500 |
| Bengali and Sylheti |
40,400 |
| Punjabi |
29,800 |
| Gujarati |
28,600 |
| Hindu/Urdu |
26,000 |
| Turkish |
15,600 |
| Arabic |
11,000 |
| English - based Creoles |
10,700 |
| Yoruba (Nigeria) |
10,400 |
| Somali |
8,300 |
| Cantonese |
6,900 |
| Greek |
6,300 |
| Akan (Ashanti) |
6,000 |
| Portuguese |
6,000 |
| French |
5,600 |
| Spanish |
5,500 |
| Tamil (Sri Lanka, Tamil Nadu- India) |
3,700 |
| Farsi (Persian) |
3,300 |
| Italian |
2,500 |
| Vietnamese |
2,400 |
(thelondonpaper, 18 September 2006)
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