Nursery World - Nursery Management: Disadvantage

Charlotte Goddard looks at what early years settings can do to narrow the ‘attainment gap’ and alleviate hardship and other issues that have increased during the pandemic

Charlie distributes food parcels at First Friends

Narrowing the ‘attainment gap’ between disadvantaged children and their better-off peers has been a focus of successive governments for decades – but with little impact. A recent report from the Education Policy Institute found in recent years the gap has started to widen again in primary and even slightly in early years.

While coronavirus has disrupted the life of every child in the country, the most negative impact has been more strongly felt by poorer households, and by children already suffering, or at risk from, abuse or neglect.

Charity Buttle UK surveyed frontline workers at the point that lockdown restrictions were lifted and found 83 per cent had seen an increase in need for food banks, with knock-on effects on children’s mental health and the ability to concentrate and learn.

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