More than half of Waltham Forest schoolchildren do not speak English as a first language.

Just over 17,000 pupils in the borough do not have English as their native tongue, according to official figures from the Department of Education.

The figure is calculated from pupils in primary and secondary schools, as well as special schools and pupil referral units, but primary schools have the highest number of children who speak a first language other than English.

More than 10,000 primary pupils – or 55.6 per cent – have English as a second language, compared to a London average of 47.5 per cent and a national average of 18.1 per cent.

In secondary schools, 6,625 pupils speak English as a second language, equivalent to 44.2 per cent of those taught in Waltham Forest.

This is compared to a London average of 38.9 per cent and a national average of 13.6 per cent.

The data also shows that of the 19,000 primary school pupils, more than a fifth are entitled to free school meals, a figure which rises to a quarter in secondary school.

Free school meals (FSM) is a key measure of poverty, and the School Food Trust says research suggests it is the one proper meal such a child might get in a day.

However, of the 3,783 secondary school pupils entitled to the free meal, just 2,949 actually have them.