More than a million schoolchildren do not speak English as their first language, official figures show.
Data published by the Department for Education shows that the numbers of youngsters who do not have English as their mother tongue has increased by about 200,000 since 2007.
In the last year alone, the number speaking English as a second language has risen by around 49,600 youngsters.
The figures show that 1,007,090 pupils in England's state primary, secondary and special schools, as well as pupil referral units (PRUs), have a first language that is known, or believed to be other than English.
Last year, this figure was around 957,500.
In 2007, it was just under 800,000, although this does not include PRUs.
The figures are higher in primaries, where around one in six pupils (17.5%), 577,555 in total, speak another language at home.
In secondaries that figure is around one in eight (12.9%), or 417,765 pupils.
The statistics come in a snapshot of the make-up of England's schools, taken in January this year.
The data shows that rising numbers of youngsters are eligible for, and claiming, free school meals (FSM) - a key measure of poverty.
It shows that a total of 1.245 million youngsters in state schools were receiving the dinners this year, compared with 1.227 million at the same point last year.
The snapshot also shows that more primary school children are being taught in bigger classes.
The average size of a class for youngsters aged between five and seven was 27.2 pupils, compared with 26.9 pupils in 2011.
And 1,508 infant classes had 31 or more pupils, above the legal limit which currently stands at 30 children.