Children who were already facing adversity were particularly affected. It reports that referrals to children’s social care services fell by 15 per cent and remain 10 per cent lower year-on-year, raising concerns about ongoing ‘hidden harm’ to children.
Despite being involved in a 2016 cross-Government exercise on dealing with a pandemic, the report found the DfE was not prepared. Furthermore, it has still not properly assessed its early response in order to learn lessons for the future.
When schools were closed to most pupils in March 2020 the DfE is said to have ‘set no standards for in-school or remote learning during the rest of the school year’ meaning ‘children had very unequal experiences’.
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