In its second set of briefings looking at the pandemic’s continued impact on education providers, Ofsted warns that more children will not be ready for school due to the continuing effects of Covid.
Ofsted’s research draws on inspection evidence gathered in the spring 2022 term and discussions with early years inspectors about the ongoing implications of the pandemic on children.
The watchdog says it has heard from early years providers that there has been ‘regression in children’s independence and self-care skills’, and there continues to be delays in babies’ and children’s speech and language development. For example, children are presenting with limited vocabulary and lack of confidence to speak, while babies are struggling to respond to facial expressions.
One provider reported that children’s increased time on devices has left them using accents and voices heard on screens.
Ofsted also flags the negative effects of two-year-olds having been surrounded by mask-wearing adults ‘their whole lives’.
An increasing number of providers were concerned that now fewer children have learned to use the toilet independently. This means that more children may not be ready for school by age the age of four. Providers were also concerned about obesity and dental health, so have focused on providing well-balanced meals and increased time for physical activity.
Speaking on Radio Four’s Today programme, chief inspector Amanda Spielman said, ‘When it comes to being ready for school we are not just talking about being toilet trained, but also about the many independent tasks that children need to be able to do, such as blowing their noses and doing up their coats.’
She also highlighted that the negative impacts of Covid have hit children hardest from poorer households. ‘During lockdowns those children who lived in smaller homes and didn’t have gardens will have spent more time on screens, with fewer opportunities to exercise or socialise.’
Drop in two-year-old take up
Fluctuations in the number of funded two-year-olds on roll is having an impact on occupancy and providers’ sustainability.
Ofsted reports that funded places for two-year-olds have not been used as much as before the onset of Covid. Throughout the pandemic, fewer parents sent their children to childcare settings, even for funded time.
This means that some children who would usually be in early years provision have stayed at home. Many of these children are already identified as being the most disadvantaged.
According to Ofsted, providers have been encouraging parents to send their children to their setting, both for early education and for wider social development, even if parents were at home more than they had been previously.
Amanda Speilman underlined the important role of early years provision in supporting children’s development and wellbeing – saying ‘I hope we will see a reversal in the current trend.’
Providers also reported difficulties retaining high-quality staff. This has left some providers with fewer skilled practitioners. These difficulties have affected the quality of teaching and the implementation of catch-up strategies. To compensate, many providers have encouraged staff to complete online training and, in some cases, specialist training, such as in techniques to support speech and language development.
Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said the report lays bare the scale of the recruitment and retention challenges that are wreaking havoc on the sector – particularly the absence of highly-skilled staff
'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,' he said.
'Ofsted’s 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’s time the Government recognised this fact and gave the sector the respect, appreciation and, most importantly, investment that it needs.'
Read the full report here
