By October 2020, five months after the Government introduced the first coronavirus restriction in England, Ofsted reported growing concerns among early years practitioners about children's mental health. ‘They were particularly concerned about children's personal, social and emotional development,’ said a report compiled by the inspectorate based on responses from more than 200 early years providers. ‘Some children had returned [to settings] less confident and more anxious.’
Other studies among older children paint a similar picture. The Oxford University-led ‘Covid-19 Supporting Parents, Adolescents, and Children during Epidemics’ study of 8,225 parents and carers found that with each lockdown from 2020 to 2021, behavioural, emotional and restless/attentional difficulties among children increased, particularly among those aged between four and ten.
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