COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

Half of pupils from ethnic minority backgrounds


Coun Kevin Maton

One in three Coventry schoolchildren do not have English as their first language, according to the latest government statistics.

The figures, from the Department for Education , also show that almost half of the city’s school pupils are from ethnic minority backgrounds.

Compared with like for like data from 2010, the percentage of schoolchildren who don’t speak English as their first language has risen by eight per cent in primary schools and ten per cent in secondary schools during those seven years.

The percentage of ethnic minority primary school pupils in the city has actually fallen in the same period from 62 per cent in 2010 to 50 per cent today.

There has been a rise of ethnic minority secondary school pupils in the same period, up from 34 per cent in 2010 to 47 per cent in 2017.

Coventry City Council’s education chief, Cllr Kevin Maton, told the Telegraph that, despite the challenges a diverse school population presents, the city’s teachers were performing well.

He also said the city should not seek to turn away pupils who did not speak English insisting “They are our own”.

In Warwickshire , 11 per cent of primary schoolchildren and seven per cent of secondary school pupils do not have English as their first language.

That’s a five per cent increase in the county’s primary schools since 2010 and a one per cent increase in secondary schools.

A total of 20 per cent of primary school and 16 per cent of secondary school pupils are considered to be ethnic minorities - defined as any category other than “White British” by the Department for Education.

That’s a rise of six per cent in Warwickshire primary schools since 2010 and three per cent in secondary schools.

Asked if the city should seek to take in fewer non-English speaking children to reduce pressure on teaching staff, Cllr Maton said: “They are our own.

“We don’t discriminate against the doctor who has trained for years and is saving our lives just because they weren’t born in the country.

“I find it staggering that people think like that when you look at the history of Britain over the years.

“Immigrants are the mainstay of a lot of the things we are doing here.”