Are students learning English being supported enough?

Starting at a new school can often be a nerve-wracking experience, but what if you had to learn a new language too?

That's the reality for thousands of students who have moved to the UK from other countries.

Children who've come from abroad have to get used to a new school, but for some, there's also the challenge of getting to grips with completely different lessons taught in a foreign language.

A recent report from Oxford University, The Bell Foundation and Unbound Philanthropy, is calling for more government support for these students.

Children come under the EAL (English as an additional language) category if they:

More than 1.6 million children aged 5-16 are recorded as EAL in England alone, and there are many more across the UK.

According to the Department for Education (DfE) which is the part of the government that deals with education, a child is classed as EAL if they're exposed to a language at home that isn't English.

The DfE is responsible for primary and secondary education in England.

It provides money to pay for support for EAL students for up to three years when they join a new school.

EAL learners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are given similar support.

Researchers from Oxford University have been looking at this issue and they say the current funding which supports EAL children for three years in England may not actually help students for long enough.

"One of the hardest things for [EAL learners] to do is to understand academic (school) language," said Hamish Chalmers from the charity NALDIC which works to help children learning English as an additional language.

He says students learning English tend to make lots of progress when it comes to social language, which is what pupils might use to chat to their friends in the dinner hall or playground.

However, things can get a little trickier when it comes to formal learning in the classroom.

According to the new research, it can take students who are new to the English language at least six years to reach a level of fluency which would allow them get to grips with the work they're doing at school.

The experts behind the report believe that support for EAL students should be based on how well they understand English when they first join a school, and more assistance should be given to those who need it for longer.

We asked the government for their response and they told us that more money is now being spent on this and they plan to increase that next year.

They also told us that they are planning to spend £14 billion more on schools over the next three years to support children who need extra help.

In Scotland, funding for EAL students is included in the money the government provide to help other children like those with learning difficulties, refugees and young carers.

In the last two years, the Scottish Government has spent more than £600 million on extra support for pupils which includes children who have English as a second language.

"We're providing £10 million next year to support ethnic minority learners, including where English or Welsh is an additional language," a Welsh Government spokesperson told Newsround.

"This funding can be used to support learning new languages, classes for learners and their families and understanding cultural identity."

Children who've come to the UK from other countries are known as 'newcomers' in Northern Ireland. There are currently more than 16,000 newcomer pupils in Northern Ireland. Each school enrolling a newcomer pupil receives an additional £1000 each year to help meet their needs.

One of the most common forms of support provided by schools to newcomer pupils in Northern Ireland, is additional English language teaching.

Special resources are also used to help pupils access learning.