Pupils learning English in England's schools
Across England's state schools, pupils learning english averaged 18.6% in January 2026 (21,919 schools). Since 2016 it has risen by 3.3 points, which is good news. Official definition: first language other than english.
The trend
Trend
Pupils learning English
2016 to 2026
All state schoolsPrimarySecondary
Since 2016: +3.3%
Year by year
| Year | All | Primary | Secondary | Schools |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January 2026 | 18.6% | 18.8% | 18.8% | 21,919 |
| January 2025 | 18.2% | 18.4% | 18.6% | 21,145 |
| January 2024 | 17.8% | 17.9% | 18.2% | 20,451 |
| January 2023 | 17.3% | 17.4% | 17.7% | 19,930 |
| January 2022 | 16.1% | 16.6% | 17.1% | 20,122 |
| January 2021 | 15.9% | 16.3% | 16.9% | 19,652 |
| January 2019 | 16.4% | 16.4% | 16.7% | 17,941 |
| January 2017 | 15.9% | 16.3% | 16.4% | 15,543 |
| January 2016 | 15.3% | 15.9% | 16.1% | 14,786 |
By region
Latest year, best first. The tick is the England figure.
Every council
151 councils ranked, best first. Councils with very few schools swing more from year to year.
| # | Council | Pupils learning English | Schools | vs England |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Harrow | 64.2% | 60 | +45.6 pts |
| 2 | Brent | 63.8% | 88 | +45.2 pts |
| 3 | Newham | 63.0% | 102 | +44.4 pts |
| 4 | Ealing | 60.1% | 94 | +41.5 pts |
| 5 | Tower Hamlets | 58.2% | 94 | +39.7 pts |
| 6 | Hounslow | 55.1% | 76 | +36.5 pts |
| 7 | Leicester | 54.7% | 113 | +36.1 pts |
| 8 | Redbridge | 53.5% | 79 | +34.9 pts |
| 9 | Barking and Dagenham | 53.4% | 62 | +34.8 pts |
| 10 | Slough | 52.4% | 51 | +33.8 pts |
| 11 | Westminster | 51.4% | 53 | +32.8 pts |
| 12 | Luton | 50.4% | 70 | +31.9 pts |
| 13 | Barnet | 48.4% | 132 | +29.8 pts |
| 14 | Enfield | 47.8% | 97 | +29.2 pts |
| 15 | Camden | 46.8% | 55 | +28.2 pts |
| 16 | Haringey | 46.6% | 83 | +28.0 pts |
| 17 | Hillingdon | 46.6% | 97 | +28.0 pts |
| 18 | Kensington and Chelsea | 44.9% | 38 | +26.3 pts |
| 19 | Manchester | 43.0% | 188 | +24.4 pts |
| 20 | Lambeth | 42.8% | 88 | +24.2 pts |
| 21 | Hammersmith and Fulham | 42.1% | 59 | +23.5 pts |
| 22 | Merton | 40.8% | 56 | +22.2 pts |
| 23 | Hackney | 40.2% | 73 | +21.6 pts |
| 24 | Wandsworth | 39.5% | 81 | +20.9 pts |
| 25 | Birmingham | 39.5% | 440 | +20.9 pts |
| 26 | Waltham Forest | 39.4% | 78 | +20.8 pts |
| 27 | Nottingham | 38.0% | 105 | +19.4 pts |
| 28 | Islington | 38.0% | 64 | +19.4 pts |
| 29 | Coventry | 36.7% | 118 | +18.1 pts |
| 30 | Sutton | 36.6% | 64 | +18.0 pts |
| 31 | Blackburn with Darwen | 36.3% | 77 | +17.7 pts |
| 32 | Reading | 36.1% | 61 | +17.5 pts |
| 33 | Peterborough | 36.0% | 82 | +17.4 pts |
| 34 | Croydon | 36.0% | 127 | +17.4 pts |
| 35 | Lewisham | 35.4% | 86 | +16.9 pts |
| 36 | Southwark | 34.6% | 100 | +16.0 pts |
| 37 | Kingston upon Thames | 34.6% | 52 | +16.0 pts |
| 38 | Derby | 34.1% | 107 | +15.5 pts |
| 39 | Sandwell | 33.4% | 123 | +14.8 pts |
| 40 | Bradford | 33.2% | 210 | +14.6 pts |
| 41 | Richmond upon Thames | 32.9% | 60 | +14.3 pts |
| 42 | Southampton | 32.3% | 76 | +13.8 pts |
| 43 | Greenwich | 31.1% | 88 | +12.5 pts |
| 44 | Milton Keynes | 30.4% | 113 | +11.8 pts |
| 45 | Bolton | 29.4% | 129 | +10.8 pts |
| 46 | Wolverhampton | 29.3% | 111 | +10.7 pts |
| 47 | Oldham | 29.2% | 107 | +10.6 pts |
| 48 | Havering | 28.4% | 83 | +9.9 pts |
| 49 | Newcastle upon Tyne | 27.9% | 100 | +9.3 pts |
| 50 | Stoke-on-Trent | 26.8% | 92 | +8.2 pts |
| 51 | Bristol, City of | 26.5% | 153 | +7.9 pts |
| 52 | Rochdale | 24.9% | 90 | +6.3 pts |
| 53 | Bexley | 24.9% | 84 | +6.3 pts |
| 54 | Sheffield | 24.4% | 178 | +5.8 pts |
| 55 | Walsall | 24.4% | 122 | +5.8 pts |
| 56 | Liverpool | 24.3% | 171 | +5.7 pts |
| 57 | Swindon | 23.7% | 88 | +5.1 pts |
| 58 | Salford | 23.7% | 99 | +5.1 pts |
| 59 | Trafford | 23.6% | 91 | +5.0 pts |
| 60 | Wokingham | 23.0% | 72 | +4.4 pts |
| 61 | Thurrock | 22.9% | 56 | +4.3 pts |
| 62 | Leeds | 22.7% | 279 | +4.1 pts |
| 63 | Portsmouth | 22.6% | 61 | +4.0 pts |
| 64 | Bedford | 22.5% | 76 | +3.9 pts |
| 65 | Kingston upon Hull, City of | 20.6% | 96 | +2.0 pts |
| 66 | Kirklees | 20.3% | 182 | +1.7 pts |
| 67 | Bromley | 20.1% | 100 | +1.5 pts |
| 68 | Brighton and Hove | 19.6% | 63 | +1.0 pts |
| 69 | Bury | 19.4% | 84 | +0.8 pts |
| 70 | West Northamptonshire | 19.2% | 187 | +0.6 pts |
| 71 | Hertfordshire | 18.8% | 529 | +0.2 pts |
| 72 | North Northamptonshire | 18.6% | 144 | +0.1 pts |
| 73 | Middlesbrough | 18.6% | 57 | 0.0 pts |
| 74 | Medway | 17.8% | 103 | -0.8 pts |
| 75 | Warrington | 17.4% | 88 | -1.2 pts |
| 76 | Windsor and Maidenhead | 17.2% | 66 | -1.4 pts |
| 77 | Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 17.2% | 100 | -1.4 pts |
| 78 | Bracknell Forest | 17.2% | 38 | -1.4 pts |
| 79 | Tameside | 16.8% | 98 | -1.8 pts |
| 80 | Telford and Wrekin | 16.7% | 76 | -1.8 pts |
| 81 | Buckinghamshire | 16.7% | 234 | -1.9 pts |
| 82 | Cambridgeshire | 16.7% | 269 | -1.9 pts |
| 83 | Oxfordshire | 16.5% | 307 | -2.1 pts |
| 84 | Stockport | 15.2% | 115 | -3.4 pts |
| 85 | Surrey | 15.1% | 398 | -3.5 pts |
| 86 | Warwickshire | 14.9% | 250 | -3.7 pts |
| 87 | Doncaster | 14.8% | 128 | -3.8 pts |
| 88 | Solihull | 14.6% | 83 | -4.0 pts |
| 89 | Gateshead | 14.4% | 83 | -4.2 pts |
| 90 | Southend-on-Sea | 14.4% | 52 | -4.2 pts |
| 91 | South Gloucestershire | 13.6% | 116 | -5.0 pts |
| 92 | Dudley | 13.4% | 107 | -5.1 pts |
| 93 | Kent | 13.2% | 597 | -5.4 pts |
| 94 | Rotherham | 13.1% | 123 | -5.5 pts |
| 95 | Lancashire | 12.9% | 627 | -5.7 pts |
| 96 | Wigan | 12.8% | 127 | -5.8 pts |
| 97 | Wakefield | 12.6% | 142 | -6.0 pts |
| 98 | Plymouth | 12.5% | 97 | -6.1 pts |
| 99 | Blackpool | 12.2% | 43 | -6.4 pts |
| 100 | West Sussex | 12.2% | 285 | -6.4 pts |
| 101 | York | 11.4% | 63 | -7.2 pts |
| 102 | Norfolk | 11.3% | 418 | -7.3 pts |
| 103 | Calderdale | 11.3% | 100 | -7.3 pts |
| 104 | Nottinghamshire | 11.0% | 344 | -7.6 pts |
| 105 | West Berkshire | 11.0% | 83 | -7.6 pts |
| 106 | Essex | 10.6% | 555 | -8.0 pts |
| 107 | Central Bedfordshire | 10.5% | 128 | -8.1 pts |
| 108 | Hampshire | 10.5% | 526 | -8.1 pts |
| 109 | North Lincolnshire | 10.4% | 80 | -8.2 pts |
| 110 | Darlington | 10.2% | 42 | -8.4 pts |
| 111 | Worcestershire | 10.1% | 243 | -8.5 pts |
| 112 | Cheshire East | 9.8% | 156 | -8.8 pts |
| 113 | North Somerset | 9.8% | 79 | -8.8 pts |
| 114 | Lincolnshire | 9.6% | 359 | -9.0 pts |
| 115 | Suffolk | 9.4% | 323 | -9.2 pts |
| 116 | Herefordshire, County of | 9.3% | 99 | -9.3 pts |
| 117 | Gloucestershire | 9.3% | 298 | -9.3 pts |
| 118 | Leicestershire | 9.1% | 288 | -9.5 pts |
| 119 | Knowsley | 9.0% | 61 | -9.6 pts |
| 120 | North East Lincolnshire | 8.9% | 65 | -9.7 pts |
| 121 | Somerset | 8.9% | 264 | -9.7 pts |
| 122 | Stockton-on-Tees | 8.8% | 78 | -9.8 pts |
| 123 | Barnsley | 8.8% | 91 | -9.8 pts |
| 124 | Sefton | 8.8% | 103 | -9.8 pts |
| 125 | Bath and North East Somerset | 8.4% | 80 | -10.2 pts |
| 126 | South Tyneside | 8.3% | 62 | -10.3 pts |
| 127 | Cheshire West and Chester | 8.2% | 160 | -10.4 pts |
| 128 | Sunderland | 7.9% | 116 | -10.7 pts |
| 129 | Staffordshire | 7.8% | 411 | -10.8 pts |
| 130 | Wirral | 7.7% | 125 | -10.9 pts |
| 131 | Torbay | 7.6% | 43 | -11.0 pts |
| 132 | St. Helens | 7.6% | 70 | -11.0 pts |
| 133 | Wiltshire | 7.6% | 235 | -11.0 pts |
| 134 | East Sussex | 7.5% | 185 | -11.1 pts |
| 135 | North Tyneside | 7.3% | 77 | -11.3 pts |
| 136 | Hartlepool | 7.2% | 39 | -11.4 pts |
| 137 | Halton | 6.0% | 66 | -12.6 pts |
| 138 | North Yorkshire | 5.5% | 349 | -13.1 pts |
| 139 | Westmorland and Furness | 5.2% | 147 | -13.4 pts |
| 140 | Rutland | 5.2% | 21 | -13.4 pts |
| 141 | Cumberland | 5.1% | 171 | -13.5 pts |
| 142 | Dorset | 4.9% | 158 | -13.7 pts |
| 143 | Shropshire | 4.9% | 151 | -13.7 pts |
| 144 | Devon | 4.9% | 371 | -13.7 pts |
| 145 | County Durham | 4.8% | 260 | -13.8 pts |
| 146 | Derbyshire | 4.7% | 418 | -13.9 pts |
| 147 | East Riding of Yorkshire | 4.5% | 149 | -14.1 pts |
| 148 | Isle of Wight | 3.8% | 47 | -14.8 pts |
| 149 | Redcar and Cleveland | 3.5% | 59 | -15.0 pts |
| 150 | Cornwall | 3.2% | 280 | -15.4 pts |
| 151 | Northumberland | 2.9% | 165 | -15.7 pts |
How to read this
Each figure is a simple average across open state schools that have the measure published. A school counts once whatever its size, so the figures can differ a little from the Department for Education's national figures, which count pupils. Special schools and alternative provision are left out of results measures. Independent schools are left out throughout. Sources and update calendar.