Following on from the drop in the district’s Key Stage 2 results reported yesterday, new figures today showing the extent of the issue of pupils not speaking English as a first language at some of our schools are worrying.

In three of the district’s schools, the figure is three per cent or less. In one, it is only one per cent.

It may well be the case that some or many of these children have a good grasp of English, even if it is not their mother tongue. But that will not be the case for all of them.

With concerns growing on literacy levels, it is a problem that needs to be addressed. And parents have a key role to play in this.

It is vital that children from all cultures have a good grasp of English before they start primary school. That means that English must be spoken at home.

It does not mean families abandoning their own heritage and history, but it has to be recognised that schools don’t have the resources to be dealing with classes where countless languages may be spoken. If teachers have to spend more time helping pupils who have limited knowledge of English understand what is going on in class, that is going to impact on all the pupils.

So it is important that parents do everything they can to ensure their children understand English. And some may need support from the wider community to do this.

Councillor Riaz Ahmed talks about the children’s centres which exist to help with exactly this need. It is vital these centres are not only protected from council cuts, but are invested in as a resource to help every pupil.

All our children should have the best possible start in their school lives. And that means, as much as it is possible, that they should all be starting on a level playing field.