text: A government inquiry is to be carried out into the impact of migrant children arriving in schools unable to speak English. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan revealed she has ordered officials to start 'mapping the pressures' on the state schools system. It comes less than six months after she told the head of Ofsted it was not 'helpful' to warn that schools are struggling to cope with an 'influx' of migrants. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan revealed she has ordered officials to start 'mapping the pressures' on the state schools system caused by immigration . Immigration has played a low-key role in the Tory election campaign to date, after David Cameron spectacularly to meet his pledge to cut net migration to the tens of thousands. The Tory leader vowed to cut the number below 100,000 'no ifs, no buts', but latest figures show the number hit 298,000 in the year to September. In an interview today Mrs Morgan admitted it is a 'big issue' for voters and revealed she has asked the Department for Education to examine the impact on schools. It is expected to look at how migrant children perform in exams and how schools with large immigrant populations cope. Mrs Morgan told the Sunday Telegraph: 'I think there is pressure in the classrooms in terms of teaching — how prepared [immigrant] children are when they start school. Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw last year warned schools had faced an 'influx' of immigrants . 'It would be wrong to say immigration holds results back or affects overall qualifications ultimately. But at the start of primary school, especially, it means that teachers have to tailor their lessons, to spend longer with pupils who have English as a second language. 'We are looking at that in the Department — exactly mapping the pressures, what teachers have to do, the resources that takes. I am very keen to know.' She added that she wanted to ensure that migrant children have caught up with other pupils before the end of the Year 1, aged six or seven. In October last year, Ofsted chief inspector Sir Michael Wilshaw was challenged about the increased worked of teachers caused by a large number of children who could not speak English. Sir Michael said: 'Schools need the resources to deal with that. 'When they're faced with an influx of children from other countries, they need the resources and capacity to deal with it, and if those resources aren't there, that's a big issue for government. That's the first thing and we'll be producing reports on this fairly soon.' Net long-term migration to the UK was estimated to be 298,000 in the year ending September 2014, a major rise on the 210,000 figure a year earlier . But a week later Mrs Morgan questioned Sir Michael's language and played down the scale of the problem. 'Obviously Sir Michael Wilshaw has gone round to various schools but no, when I go round schools I see that they have adapted and are doing extremely well with students who do come from abroad. 'I am not sure that sort of language is always helpful but there are challenges and there are parts of the country where we know that there are higher numbers of students who don't speak English as a first language.' Asked whether Sir Michael should have chosen his words more carefully, Mrs Morgan added: 'This whole area of immigration is an area where we need to be very careful about the language that we use. 'It isn't that it isn't a concern to people because it absolutely is but we also need to think about the language and the tone of the debate that we use. 'We need to tackle the issue in a sensitive way without saying there isn't a problem because people are clearly concerned about it.' Everyone who comes to Britain should know how to speak English, Labour Ed Miliband has warned as he admitted Labour made mistakes on immigration. The Labour leader admitted that in the past his party had been 'too timid' about making clear that for communities to live together they must use a shared language. But the Tories said there was nothing in Mr Miliband's plans to act to reduce the number of people moving to Britain, after net migration hit 298,000 in a year. Ed Miliband admitted that in the past his party had been 'too timid' about making clear that for communities to live together they must use a shared language . Mr Miliband pledged a new crackdown on illegal exploitation of migrant workers, promising a Home Office task force to boost prosecutions and fines on bad employers. Speaking in Wirral West - a marginal seat held by the Tory Employment Minister Esther McVey - the Labour leader said exploitation drives low skilled migration and holds down wages for British workers. His new unit of 100 staff will bring together people from the Gangmasters Licensing Authority and specialist police units, together with additional Home Office enforcement staff. The unit will be empowered to investigate abuse and be challenged to increase prosecutions and fines levelled against employers who break the rules. But he also warned that migrants must learn to speak English, especially in key services like the NHS. Mr Miliband said: 'Our communities are changing fast but we don't cope with change by closing our doors to each other and living our lives in separate worlds. Instead we must find a way to live together across communities. 'A Britain where people of all backgrounds, all cultures, all religions, can practise their own faiths but also come together to forge a common identity. 'But we can only build this shared society if we speak the same language.' He said his own parents had learned to speak English after arriving from Belgium in 1940. 'It is why I believe in a simple principle: Everyone in Britain should know how to speak English. 'Sometimes, we've been too timid about this but it is something we should expect from everyone who comes here. 'And it is especially important that people who work in public services in public facing roles should be required to speak English.' He said that 'nowhere is that more true' than in the health service. 'We all know the crucial contribution that people from overseas play in our NHS. Doctors, paramedics, social workers, nurses. Bringing specialist skills that we need. 'I will never demean or devalue their contribution to our country. 'But it is vital that people who come to fulfil these roles don't just have the right medical skills, but can communicate with those for whom they care. 'So in the future all healthcare professionals will be required to speak English to a sufficient standard so they can care effectively for patients.'
target: Nicky Morgan asks officials to start 'mapping the pressures' on schools .
  Education Secretary says immigration is a 'big issue' for voters .
  Last year warned Ofsted it was not 'helpful' to talk about migrant 'influx'