Social justice is a key concept in current research in sociology of education. Embedded in the broad term social justice are the notions of meritocracy and the welfare state.

 The educational system in a meritocratic society is structured in such a way that it provides all children with equal opportunities for fulfilling their full potential, regardless of their social background.

 Welfare state refers to a type of state in which political power intervenes, to guarantee a minimum income, to reduce social insecurity, and to ensure that all citizens are offered certain agreed social services, such as education and medical care, at the highest standard (Briggs, 2000). Education is thus considered as a significant component of the welfare state (Tomlinson, 2001).

 These views are largely built around the main conceptual framework of the human capital theory (Shultz 1961). Underpinning the human capital model is the idea of a “clear, direct and linear relationship between the expansion of educational credentials and economic development” (Tomlinson, 2008:50). They are also based on ideas concerning the transition from the industrial to the post-industrial knowledge and information society, in which knowledge is the main resource of an economy (Bell, 1976; Drucker, 1992).

However, despite efforts to reduce social inequalities in education, studies have shown that students from higher socioeconomic backgrounds have better educational outcomes due to their higher levels of economic, cultural, and social capital (Bourdieu and Passeron, 1977).

An aspect of social inequalities in education that has not been adequately examined concerns educational inequalities as regards knowledge of the English language from students from different socioeconomic backgrounds, as evidenced by official qualifications obtained. We were motivated to focus on this aspect of social inequalities in education on the basis of current European policy. In the last decades language teaching has been considered as a priority by the European Commission. The importance attached to foreign language learning is reflected both in the 1995 European Commission White Paper on Education and Training, which aimed at promoting the learning of at least two Community foreign languages by all young people, and in the 2002 Barcelona European Council’s call for a sustained effort to improve the mastery of language skills. According to the official rhetoric, in present-day Europe the need for communication, understanding, and tolerance between people from different countries, together with the realization of the importance of foreign languages for the personal and professional development of individuals, renders the acquisition of foreign language a matter of primary importance.

 The research questions were:

 1) Is there a relationship between knowledge of the English language, as measured by official qualifications obtained, and students’ socioeconomic status?

 2) Why does the vast majority of students resort to out of school support despite the fact that English is taught as a foreign language in state schools?

 3) Is there a relationship between type of out of school support and students’ social class background?

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