Help for schools with EU pupils

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The government is earmarking £400,000 to help schools teaching more foreign pupils as a result of EU expansion.

The Department for Education said the programme would help schools with little experience of teaching pupils who have limited knowledge of English.

It comes as the Home Office detailed work restrictions for Bulgarian and Romanian nationals, when the states join the EU on 1 January 2007.

About 10% of pupils in England are learning English as a second language.

But the government added that the accession of eight ex-communist states in 2004 had meant more were being taken on by schools with little experience of teaching them.

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The Home Office had predicted that 15,000 migrant workers may come to the UK in a year after 2004 - but 600,000 arrived in two years, many bringing their families, with young children.

In January an investigation for the BBC's Newsnight discovered there were 3,000 Polish immigrants living in Crewe, which has a total working population of about 60,000.

Local schools and public services in the town complained they were under pressure to cope with the influx.

In a written statement to Parliament, Home Secretary John Reid said the open-door policy had been a success because migrant workers had filled skills gaps.

But he acknowledged some schools had had to cope with a "significant rise" in pupils, while some councils had reported overcrowding in private housing.

Support is given to schools through the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant, which helps underachieving ethnic minority pupils and those learning English as an additional language.

But the two-year programme announced on Tuesday will focus on those local authorities for whom it is a new issue.

The English as an Additional Language (EAL) Excellence Programme will be based in London and spread best practice.