Pandemic continues to affect children鈥檚 development, Ofsted says
By Rachel Lawler
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is affecting children鈥檚 development in the early years, according to a .
Ofsted says that children鈥檚 communication and language skills, personal, social and emotional development and physical development have all been adversely impacted by the pandemic.
The briefing is based on evidence gathered through 70 inspections in the spring 2022 term and 鈥渄iscussions with early years inspectors about the ongoing implications of the pandemic鈥 on children.
Communication and language
It says that providers are 鈥渕aking more referrals鈥 than before the pandemic for external help with speech and language concerns as well as compensating with language-rich environments.
One example Ofsted gave was of children that have 鈥渟truggled to respond to basic facial expressions鈥 which may be due to reduced contact and interaction during lockdowns.
Personal, social and emotional development
Ofsted says that its inspectors have also reported older children, who would not normally have been upset when being dropped off by parents, struggling to settle despite attending settings regularly.
It says that providers have responded by focussing on helping children to express themselves and providing opportunities for them to socialise in larger groups.
Ofsted said that babies were 鈥減articularly anxious鈥 and unused to seeing different faces.
It also noted that some providers had seen an increase in the number of toddlers needing support with sharing and turn-taking.
Physical development
Ofsted has also reported a negative impact on babies鈥 gross motor skills, with providers increasing the amount of time children spend on physical activities in response.
One example given in the briefing was delays in babies learning to crawl and walk. It also said that some providers had reported children鈥檚 鈥渋ndependence and self-care skills鈥 regressing.
Staffing concerns
The report also acknowledges the difficulties providers are facing recruiting and retaining 鈥渉igh-quality staff鈥.
It says that many providers are taking on apprentices and managers have often had to step in to cover shortages.
The briefing also states that of the 64 childminders that completed Ofsted鈥檚 post-resignation survey, 23% cited Covid-19 as their reason for closing.
无码天堂 concerns
Neil Leitch, CEO of the 无码天堂, commented:鈥淲e know that the pandemic has had a significant impact on the learning and development of young children, many of whom have spent the majority of their lives under some form of Covid-19 restrictions. As such, it is encouraging to see that early educators鈥 efforts to do all they can to support the children in their care to recover from the challenges of the past two years is having such a positive impact.
鈥淭hat said, the report lays bare the scale of the recruitment and retention challenges that are wreaking havoc on the sector, with providers citing an absence of highly-skilled staff as a key concern. This issue can only be addressed if the government finally recognises the need to significantly increase sector funding to enable providers to offer more training, opportunities and, crucially, a fair wage to encourage staff to remain in the sector.
鈥淥fsted鈥檚 update on the early years sector highlights how vital early years providers have been in helping young children catch up on vital education and social skills during the pandemic. It鈥檚 time the government recognised this fact and gave the sector the respect, appreciation and, most importantly, investment that it needs."
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