English a second language in one in nine British schools

In more than 200 schools at least 90 per cent of the children do not have English as their mother tongue (Getty Images)

English is spoken only as a second language by the majority of children at more than one in nine schools, it was revealed tonight.

In more than 200 schools at least 90 per cent of the children do not have English as their mother tongue, the figures show, and in 1,755 schools at least 50 per cent have it as a second language.

The number of pupils who speak English as a second language has risen by 20 per cent in the last five years to 1.1 million across England, according to the Daily Telegraph citing Department for Education data.

The increase has meant that schools have had to call in interpreters to help at events such as parents’ evenings.

The school named as having the highest proportion of children with English as a second language is Sacred Heart Primary in Sandwell in the West Midlands, 99 per cent speaking another language first.