Number of secondary school children from ethnic minorities soars by more than half in ten years

White British pupils are now in a minority in many secondary schools in England, according to academic research.

The number of ethnic minority pupils in secondary schools has sharply risen by 57 per cent in a decade, a survey by King’s College London has found.

In some parts of England, such as inner London, up to two-thirds, or 67 per cent, of secondary pupils across a borough are from ethnic minorities.

Study: Black and Asian pupils now outnumber white children in London schools. Experts have warned of 'very high' levels of segregation (file picture)

While in some individual schools 98 per cent of pupils are from an ethnic minority.

The trend is seen right across England showing ethnic minority families are moving out of towns to suburbs, the study claims.

It is the result of mass immigration over the past few decades.

Professor Hamnett, who conducted the study, said the increase is not due to recently arrived children, but children who were born in England.

He said patterns of birth rates indicate that the proportion of ethnic minority pupils will continue to increase in the next decades.

Surge: The percentage of ethnic minority pupils in 1999 compared to 2009

And he added that such changes have become a lasting feature of the ethnic make-up of England’s population.

Geographer Prof Hamnett said his data reveals a ‘very substantial’ shift in the population, which represents an ‘irrevocable’ change.

The study looked at the changing demographics of schools between 1999 and 2009.

The 57 per cent increase in ethnic minority pupils contrasted with an overall secondary school population rise of 4.7 per cent.

There has also been a slight decline in white pupils, a figure that also includes migrants from eastern Europe.

Segregation: Brick Lane in the London area of Tower Hamlets. More than 90 per cent of pupils there are from an ethnic minority background

Across the country, the proportion of ethnic minority pupils has risen in a decade from 11.5 per cent to 17 per cent.

Professor Hamnett forecasts that it is set to rise again to 20 per cent.

He found that London has the highest proportion of ethnic minority pupils, 67 per cent, followed by Slough with 64 per cent, Leicester, 58 per cent, Birmingham 52 per cent and Luton 51 per cent.

Manchester and Bradford both have 43 per cent.

There are also wide differences in the ethnic breakdowns of schools in different parts of the country.

In places such as Knowsley, near Liverpool, Cumbria and Durham, fewer than 2 per cent of pupils are from ethnic minorities.

In Brent, Tower Hamlets and Newham in London, the figure is above 80 per cent.