The Coventry context
Coventry, located at the eastern edge of the West Midlands, is an ethnically diverse and rapidly growing city. As of mid-2023, the population was estimated at 360,702, reflecting a 13.8% increase from 316,960 in 2011. This growth surpasses the regional increase of 8.6% and the national figure of 8.8%. The city maintains a youthful demographic, with a median age of 35 years, notably younger than the England median of 40 years. This is partly due to the presence of 2 prominent universities attracting students both domestically and internationally.
In 2021 to 2022, approximately 21.4% of children under 16 in Coventry lived in absolute low-income households, aligning with the West Midlands average but higher than the national rate of 15.3%.
While birth rates have been declining over the past decade, the number of children aged 5-14 has increased, indicating a shift in the city's age distribution. Migration remains a significant factor in Coventry's population growth, with the city serving as a sanctuary for individuals seeking refuge from global crises. The largest movements involve individuals relocating from and to other parts of the UK, particularly students attending the city's universities.
International migration also contributes notably, with more people moving to Coventry from overseas than those emigrating abroad. Consequently, Coventry has become the 9th largest city in England and the 12th largest in the United Kingdom.
Ethnic diversity
Coventry is an ethnically diverse city, with 44.7% of residents identifying as part of the global majority, an increase from 33.4% in 2011. This is higher than the West Midlands region (27.9%) and England as a whole (26.5%).
Asian Indian forms the largest sub-group (9.3%). The diversity in spoken languages is also increasing, with English as a first language decreasing from 86.1% in 2011 to 82.5% in 2021. Within Coventry, Polish (2.3%), Panjabi (2.3%) and Romanian (2.1%) are the 3 most popular main languages spoken aside from English. Coventry has been an asylum dispersal city and more latterly a ‘City of Sanctuary’ in respect of migrant populations with this population expanding post-pandemic, with health inequality a key priority for this and other groups within the city. Read more about Coventry.
Coventry’s child population is more ethnically diverse than the adult population overall and is becoming more diverse over time, this indicates that the total population is highly likely to become more diverse in the future, with an increasing proportion of the city’s population being from an ethnic minority background. According to the latest school census in January 2023, 58.0% of Coventry’s school children are from an ethnic minority group up from 39.7% in 2012. The largest ethnic minorities in school children are Black African (12.0%), non-British white (10.5%), and Asian Indian (9.6%). Coventry City Council
Work to tackle the inequalities faced by the global majority is inherent within a number of key strategies across the city including the health inequalities strategic plan Health Inequalities Strategic Plan 2022 to 2027. This aims for the Maternity service are to improve maternity and neonatal services and ensure equity for mothers and babies from Black, Asian, and Mixed ethnic groups and those living in the most deprived areas. In the area of physical health for children and young people the Integrated Care Board (ICB) aims to ensure equitable access, experience and outcomes for Core20+5 groups and ethnic minorities.
The impact of Covid-19
Families’ health and wellbeing, and children’s learning and development were harmed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Challenges families, pregnant women, and young children faced included limited support during pregnancy, reduced access to routine vaccinations and developmental checks; missed SEND identification, lack of early socialisation and impact on perinatal mental health.
Parents, early education providers and schools hold consistent views on the impact of disruption in early years education. Reporting that:
- children have more speech and language problems through less chances to practice their communication skills at home or nursery
- children struggle to cope with changes due to missed chances to socialise and develop self- regulation skills, creating increased social, emotional and mental health needs
- children’s physical development suffered as they spent more time indoors and less time being active
- early years practitioners are worried the development gap is growing. Some disadvantaged children lost more early education than their peers
- this is the main impact of the pandemic, cited in many studies. It indicates the importance of using evidence-based approaches to help children who have lived through Covid-19, especially those facing multiple disadvantages
Deprivation and vulnerabilities
Coventry has made progress in reducing deprivation levels in recent years. According to the English Indices of Deprivation, the city's ranking improved from 46th in 2015 to 64th in 2019 among 317 local authority areas in England (where first is the most deprived). Additionally, the proportion of Coventry's neighbourhoods among the 10% most deprived nationally decreased from 18.5% in 2015 to 14.4% in 2019.
However, challenges remain. In 2021 to 2022, approximately 31,400 children in Coventry were living in poverty, representing 39.6% of the city's child population. This figure is significantly higher than the national average of 29.2%. Furthermore, 26.7% of children were living in relative low-income families, amounting to an estimated 18,267 children, compared to 19.9% in England.
The ongoing cost-of-living crisis has exacerbated these issues, underscoring the need for continued efforts to support vulnerable families and reduce child poverty in Coventry.
Life expectancy is below regional and national averages. There are significant health inequalities across Coventry’s neighbourhoods and affect certain communities disproportionately. People living in more deprived parts of the city not only live shorter lives but also spend a greater proportion of their shorter lives in poor health than those living in less deprived parts of the city. Living in deprived areas limits residents’ opportunities to succeed in life; transforming life chances require us to address the social inequalities that are established from children’s earliest years.
Following Covid-19, the economic outlook for the city remains challenging. While spending and other economic activity initially bounced back in 2021 to 2022, employment has been slower to return to pre-pandemic levels. Additionally, rapid inflation, high energy prices and the cost-of-living crisis strained the finances of all households and businesses
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