GCSE English Language and IGCSE English Language are distinct qualifications, which are assessed and regulated in different ways.

GCSE English Language qualifications in England are regulated by Ofqual, with subject content set by the Department. These GCSEs are assessed through examinations only, with no coursework contributing to the final grade.

IGCSE English Language is a different qualification that is not regulated by Ofqual and includes a coursework component as part of its assessment.

The UK National Information Centre assesses the comparability of overseas qualifications with UK qualifications, including those in English.

The department has committed £27.7 million this financial year to raise reading standards, including a statutory reading check for pupils in year 8 to help schools provide targeted support.

In 2025/26, the English Hubs programme launched a pilot to support secondary schools with the greatest reading need. From the 2026/27 academic year, this intensive support at key stage 3 will be rolled out across all English Hubs. In January 2026, all schools were given access to Unlocking Reading, a continuing professional development programme.

A national network of 40 maths hubs is supporting schools to improve teaching quality. It aims to improve the teaching of mathematics for all by providing school-to-school support on subject knowledge and pedagogy, supporting teaching quality and workforce recruitment and retention. Maths hub support is prioritised to schools who need it most, including through reference to their attainment.

Through the consultation on KS4 performance measures, we have also proposed extending eligibility for targeted regional improvements for standards and excellence (RISE) support to schools with the very lowest levels of pupil achievement, ensuring they have access to timely support to improve outcomes.

Additionally, in the 2026/27 financial year we will be providing around £3.2 billion of pupil premium funding to improve the outcomes of disadvantaged children. This funding enables schools to put targeted support in place for children, especially those from low income and disadvantaged backgrounds, in line with evidence-based strategies from the Education Endowment Foundation, supporting all young people to achieve and thrive.

The department has committed £27.7 million this financial year to raise reading standards. We are introducing a statutory reading check for pupils in year 8 to help ensure schools are identifying and providing targeted support to pupils.

In the 2025/26 academic year, the department rolled out a secondary pilot of the English Hubs programme, to help address reading needs for schools most in need. In January 2026, all schools were given access to Unlocking Reading, a continuing professional development programme. English Hubs will continue supporting secondary schools into the 2026/27 academic year, with an increased number of schools receiving intensive support from literacy specialists.

A national network of 40 Maths Hubs is supporting schools to improve teaching quality.  This network aims to improve the teaching of mathematics for all pupils in publicly funded schools by providing school-to-school support focussed on subject knowledge and pedagogy training for teachers, supporting teaching quality as well as workforce recruitment and retention.

Following the Curriculum and Assessment Review, reforms to the national curriculum and GCSEs will deliver clearer, better sequenced content grounded in essential knowledge and skills. Schools also benefit from the universal regional improvement for standards and excellence programme, a sector-led approach providing access to high quality school improvement support.

We know unacceptable inequalities in outcomes exist across the country and at every phase of education.

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience.

Our ambition is that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap is halved, enabling 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.

The department has committed £28.3 million to drive standards in reading and writing, including the new continuing professional development programme for secondary schools, the Unlocking Reading programme, supporting struggling readers in key stage 3.

Our 40 maths hubs provide local school-to-school support to improve maths teaching, including Venn Essex Maths Hub in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

We will go further by deepening the partnership between maths and English hubs and the Universal Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence programme, and strengthening and extending Maths Hubs programmes in reception to boost early numeracy.

We know unacceptable inequalities in outcomes exist across the country and at every phase of education.

The ‘Every child achieving and thriving’ White Paper establishes our plan to improve the outcomes of all children, building on support at home with a stretching, enriching and inclusive school experience.

Our ambition is that all children achieve higher standards and the disadvantage gap is halved, enabling 30,000 more disadvantaged young people passing their English and maths GCSEs than today.

The department has committed £28.3 million to drive standards in reading and writing, including the new continuing professional development programme for secondary schools, the Unlocking Reading programme, supporting struggling readers in key stage 3.

Our 40 maths hubs provide local school-to-school support to improve maths teaching, including Venn Essex Maths Hub in South Basildon and East Thurrock constituency.

We will go further by deepening the partnership between maths and English hubs and the Universal Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence programme, and strengthening and extending Maths Hubs programmes in reception to boost early numeracy.

The department recognises the importance of speaking and listening skills, which has been very clearly set out by the recent Curriculum and Assessment Review. As part of our English curriculum reform, we will make sure that communication skills inherent in curriculum subjects are more clearly expressed through revised programmes of study. We will revise the English and drama programmes of study to add more clarity and specificity in speaking and listening, as well as ensuring that the reformed English language GCSE focusses on the features and use of language as a form of communication. We will also create a new oracy framework to sit alongside the national curriculum that will support primary teachers to help their pupils become confident, fluent speakers, as well as a new secondary oracy, reading and writing framework, which will enable secondary teachers to connect and embed all three of those vital skills in each of their subjects as part of a whole school strategy.

We are also considering whether and how the sequencing of grammatical content in the curriculum should be changed, to enable pupils to master concepts and use them in context.

​​This government has committed £27.7 million this financial year to support and drive high and rising standards in reading. The department will introduce a new, statutory test of reading in year 8 to ensure a focus on reading in key stage 3, whether giving those struggling additional support or ensuring those doing well continue to succeed. Our network of 40 Maths Hubs is supporting local schools to improve their maths teaching, including Venn Essex Maths Hub led by St Thomas More’s Catholic Primary School in Colchester.

Following the Curriculum and Assessment review, our new national curriculum and GCSEs will have improved coherence, specificity, sequencing and will be grounded in the most important knowledge and disciplinary skills, so that every child leaves school having mastered the subjects they have been taught and is able to pursue a career in their chosen field.

In addition, schools in the constituency have access to the department’s Universal Regional Improvement for Standards and Excellence (RISE) programme, which is helping every school across the country to improve. Universal RISE is a sector-led approach which is connecting all schools to high quality school improvement resources.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding for mainstream schools based on school and pupil characteristics. The English as an additional language (EAL) factor forms part of the NFF, accounting for 1.1% of the funding allocated through the NFF in financial year 2025/26.

The funding that schools receive through the EAL factor​ forms part of their overall core funding. It is not ringfenced and it is for schools to decide how to spend the funding they receive to meet the needs of their pupils.

A school’s financial position depends on the overall amount of funding they receive, rather than the funding allocated through individual factors in the NFF. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total £65.3 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

For the 2025/26 financial year, 18,453 schools have at least one pupil on roll who attracts EAL funding through the NFF. The funding that schools actually receive is dependent on their local authority’s funding formula.

The government remains committed to keeping the school funding system under review to ensure it continues to be fair and responsive to the needs of all schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding for mainstream schools based on school and pupil characteristics. The English as an additional language (EAL) factor forms part of the NFF, accounting for 1.1% of the funding allocated through the NFF in financial year 2025/26.

The funding that schools receive through the EAL factor​ forms part of their overall core funding. It is not ringfenced and it is for schools to decide how to spend the funding they receive to meet the needs of their pupils.

A school’s financial position depends on the overall amount of funding they receive, rather than the funding allocated through individual factors in the NFF. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total £65.3 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

For the 2025/26 financial year, 18,453 schools have at least one pupil on roll who attracts EAL funding through the NFF. The funding that schools actually receive is dependent on their local authority’s funding formula.

The government remains committed to keeping the school funding system under review to ensure it continues to be fair and responsive to the needs of all schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding for mainstream schools based on school and pupil characteristics. The English as an additional language (EAL) factor forms part of the NFF, accounting for 1.1% of the funding allocated through the NFF in financial year 2025/26.

The funding that schools receive through the EAL factor​ forms part of their overall core funding. It is not ringfenced and it is for schools to decide how to spend the funding they receive to meet the needs of their pupils.

A school’s financial position depends on the overall amount of funding they receive, rather than the funding allocated through individual factors in the NFF. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total £65.3 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

For the 2025/26 financial year, 18,453 schools have at least one pupil on roll who attracts EAL funding through the NFF. The funding that schools actually receive is dependent on their local authority’s funding formula.

The government remains committed to keeping the school funding system under review to ensure it continues to be fair and responsive to the needs of all schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding for mainstream schools based on school and pupil characteristics. The English as an additional language (EAL) factor forms part of the NFF, accounting for 1.1% of the funding allocated through the NFF in financial year 2025/26.

The funding that schools receive through the EAL factor​ forms part of their overall core funding. It is not ringfenced and it is for schools to decide how to spend the funding they receive to meet the needs of their pupils.

A school’s financial position depends on the overall amount of funding they receive, rather than the funding allocated through individual factors in the NFF. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total £65.3 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

For the 2025/26 financial year, 18,453 schools have at least one pupil on roll who attracts EAL funding through the NFF. The funding that schools actually receive is dependent on their local authority’s funding formula.

The government remains committed to keeping the school funding system under review to ensure it continues to be fair and responsive to the needs of all schools.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding for mainstream schools based on school and pupil characteristics. The English as an additional language (EAL) factor forms part of the NFF, accounting for 1.1% of the funding allocated through the NFF in financial year 2025/26.

The funding that schools receive through the EAL factor​ forms part of their overall core funding. It is not ringfenced and it is for schools to decide how to spend the funding they receive to meet the needs of their pupils.

A school’s financial position depends on the overall amount of funding they receive, rather than the funding allocated through individual factors in the NFF. The overall core schools budget (CSB) is increasing by £3.7 billion in 2025/26, meaning the CSB will total £65.3 billion, compared to almost £61.6 billion in 2024/25.

For the 2025/26 financial year, 18,453 schools have at least one pupil on roll who attracts EAL funding through the NFF. The funding that schools actually receive is dependent on their local authority’s funding formula.

The government remains committed to keeping the school funding system under review to ensure it continues to be fair and responsive to the needs of all schools.

Schools attract additional funding through the English as an additional language (EAL) factor in the schools national funding formula (NFF), for pupils recorded as having entered state education in England during the last three years, and whose first language is not English.

The below table sets out the proportion of funding provided through the EAL factor in the NFF from 2023/24 financial year to 2025/26 financial year.

The NFF is used to allocate funding to local authorities. How much individual schools receive depends on their local authority’s local funding formula.

​​The department does not hold specific data on the proportion of children starting primary school who are unable to speak English to an acceptable standard.

​Information on teacher assessments of children’s development at the end of the early years foundation stage (EYFS), specifically the end of the academic year in which a child turns five, is published as part of the annual statistical release, which can be accessed here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/early-years-foundation-stage-profile-results/2023-24.

The latest data on the percentage of children at expected level for communication and language, including speaking, can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d481e08f-ef55-4809-f8d6-08de0724494a.

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding to local areas for mainstream schools. The NFF includes an English as an additional language (EAL) factor. Pupils attract this funding to their school if their first language is not English and if they entered the state education system in England in the past three years. The table below shows the total funding allocated through the EAL factor from the 2021/22 to 2025/26 financial years:

The schools national funding formula (NFF) allocates core funding to local areas for mainstream schools. The NFF includes an English as an additional language (EAL) factor. Pupils attract this funding to their school if their first language is not English and if they entered the state education system in England in the past three years. The table below shows the total funding allocated through the EAL factor from the 2021/22 to 2025/26 financial years:

The requested information on the first language of teachers and classroom assistants is not collected centrally.

Information on the qualifications held by teachers is available in the 'School workforce in England' accredited official statistics publication. This can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england/2024.

All children and young people should have every opportunity to succeed. However, the system is not working for all, including white working-class children, who are one of the biggest and lowest-performing groups.

This is unacceptable. The upcoming Schools White Paper will set out our vision for a school system that delivers educational excellence for all children, no matter their background.

The department is driving standards and outcomes through regional improvement for standards and excellence teams’ attainment conferences focused on disadvantage and the Maths Hubs programme, supported by the National Centre for Excellence in the Teaching of Mathematics. As part of a £2 million investment in reading and writing, secondary schools can access support to foster a strong whole-school reading culture, as well as the Unlocking Reading programme to boost the reading of pupils who need the most support, launching in January.

We will ensure future work to support white working-class children draws on evidence and expertise, including from the independent inquiry into white working-class educational outcomes.

The department publishes the number of pupils at the end of key stage 4 who entered GCSE English from the 2017/18 to 2023/24 academic year.

The department also publishes the number of students at the end of 16 to 18 study who entered for GCSE English from the 2019/20 to 2023/24 academic year. This data is not published for 2017/18 or 2018/19. The data for these two years can be found in the attached document.

Data relating to 2024/25 will be published in October 2025 for pupils at the end of key stage 4, and November 2025 for students at the end of 16 to 18 study.

The data relating to pupils at the end of key stage 4 can be found here:

• 2017/18: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-and-multi-academy-trust-performance-2018-revised.
• 2018/19: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/key-stage-4-performance-2019-revised.
• 2019/20: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2019-20.
• 2020/21: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2020-21.
• 2021/22: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2021-22.
• 2022/23: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2022-23.
• 2023/24: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/key-stage-4-performance/2023-24.

This data becomes available in October or November of each year.

The data relating to students at the end of 16 to 18 study can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results/2023-24. GCSE English entries comprise entries to GCSE English Language, English Literature, and English Language and Literature.