Nursery World - Covid has 'worsened' the outcomes of children living in the North of England

The pandemic has created a widening inequality gap between children living in the North and South of England, finds a new report.

The report reveals the pandemic has had a larger negative impact on children living in the North of England, such as Bradford PHOTO Adobe Stock

According to ‘Child of the North’, the pandemic has ‘accelerated’ child poverty in the North, caused a rise in child obesity and mental health issues and negatively impacted educational inequalities due to a drop in take-up of funded places and pupils missing more schooling than their peers in the South.

It finds that during the first lockdown period, just 7 per cent of children who had previously attended early years settings continued to do so (when settings were only open to children of key workers and disadvantaged children).

Other key findings from the report by the Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) – a partnership that links 10 universities and 10 NHS Teaching Trusts - reveal:

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