A chunk of next year's Education budget in Southend will be set aside to help children learn English as a second language.

Southend Council has set aside £80,000 to help schools which are struggling to cope with an influx of children who need special tuition.

Headteachers have asked for the money to be handed out to all schools, regardless of the number of pupils who have a dire need.

However Father Roger Mason said the money should only go to the schools with the greatest need. Fr Mason, of St Mary's, Prittlewell, said: "There is a pressure on some schools and there is only a certain amount of money to go around.

"Given the social condition in this borough due to the arrival of a large number of children who need extra resources, the money should go to the greatest need."

Education director Stephen Hay said £50,000 had already been set aside and more money would come from elsewhere to help out.

He said: "This money is for a whole range of children, not just those from asylum-seeking refugee families. There are others who are not from refugee families who may have additional needs for English."

The committee plumped for the first option to make sure all schools would receive some money to teach English as an additional language.

The difficulty had been deciding how much money should be set aside as the numbers of children in the borough are constantly changing.

The amount of cash set aside this year was decided after a painstaking survey was carried out last December.

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