Nursery World - The pandemic and children’s long term emotional and social development

NatCen researcher Bea Taylor looks at the findings from a follow-up to the SEED longterm study, which examines children's experiences during the pandemic.

Bea Taylor. NatCen

Covid-19 has impacted the schooling, social lives, and overall wellbeing of almost every child in the UK.

Stuck at home isolating, in many ways each child has lived through their own version of the pandemic, mediated by their family situation, living conditions, economic disadvantage, access to technology, safe playing space and special educational needs (SEN).

The longitudinal Study of Early Education and Development (SEED) has been collecting data on the lives and experiences of children and their families since 2013, when children were two-years-old. In 2020, when children were aged eight-to 10, it collected data on many of these children’s experiences during the pandemic, including asking about their schooling during the lockdown and the following months. Children included in SEED are currently in Year 5 or Year 6. In their short time in primary school, they have already experienced two interrupted years of schooling due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

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