The final report from the Education Endowment Foundation’s (EEF) research project into the impact of Covid, finds four and five-year-olds were less likely to meet the levels of development in 2021 than before the pandemic, with parents and schools reporting that their personal-social and emotional development, language, literacy and numeracy skills had been affected.
The research was carried out by a team from the University of York, National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and the Education Policy Institute.
Using a sample of EYFS data, researchers assessed the impact of the pandemic on the development of children who were in Reception class for the school year that ran from 2020-21.
They found that the proportion of children in their sample reaching the expected levels in all areas – communication and language, physical development, literacy, maths and personal, social and emotional development – was 59 per cent in 2021, compared to 72 per cent for the 2019 cohort. According to the researchers, the difference is equivalent to, on average, three more children in every classroom not reaching the expected levels by the end of the school year.
One headteacher of a nursery school explained the noticeable impact of Covid on children when they returned to the setting.
Ruth Coleman, headteacher of Highfield Nursery School in Ipswich, said, ‘When children returned to our nursery after the pandemic, many struggled with vital aspects of early years development, such as personal touch, or coping in bigger groups of children. We saw more children who had separation anxiety from their parents too. Some children were further behind with speech and language development than we’d expect.
‘But we’ve also seen some positives too. We’ve developed our use of online technology platforms to better communicate with parents and families. We’ve also seen the benefits of sharing stories remotely. This has been a real boost for our children.’
Separately, the EEF has also published a summary report reviewing a wide body of research to paint an up-to-date picture of how the pandemic has affected learning for different groups of pupils. It finds:
- The attainment gap between socially disadvantaged students and their classmates has grown across all age groups.
- There is some evidence to suggest that in primary schools, younger year groups have been most significantly affected.
- Aside from the impact on attainment, teachers have frequently reported concerns around the impact on pupil well-being.
To support schools with education recovery, the EEF has produced a practical guide, ‘Moving Forwards’, to support their planning into the next school year.
Professor Becky Francis, chief executive of the EEF, said it is ‘particularly concerning that fewer children reached the expected levels of development by the end of Reception class.’
She commented, ‘This new report adds to a growing body of research that gives us a more robust understanding of how children and young people have been affected by the pandemic, and the measures that will need to be taken to facilitate their recovery and move learning forwards.
‘To support this, our new guide offers practical advice and signposts evidence-informed resources on a variety of areas of teaching practice, from ensuring high quality teaching to removing non-academic barriers to attainment.’
The Early Years Alliance said it was ‘not surprising’ to read the impact Covid has had on a child’s attainment in their first year of primary school.
Chief executive Neil Leitch commented, ‘This research highlights just how important early education is in laying the foundations for a child’s future. Despite the disruption brought on by the pandemic, early years providers have gone above and beyond to help young children catch-up on vital education.
‘However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to do so in a sector that is so grossly underfunded, and will become all the more challenging if the Government proceeds with its plan to relax ratios at a time when children need more support than ever.’
Jonathan Broadbery, National Day Nurseries Association’s (NDNA) director of policy and communications, commented, 'Throughout the pandemic, staff in early years settings worked incredibly hard giving children as much normality as possible.
'But we see the results in this report of a cohort of young learners being massively impacted by lockdowns and restrictions, both in terms of their personal, social and emotional development as well as concerns about language acquisition and communication skills.
'We have been saying throughout this hugely disruptive period that nurseries and early years settings need additional support especially funding so they can deliver the high quality care and learning opportunities these children badly need.
'NDNA warned the Government about the risks of a lost generation of learners and this is sadly what we are seeing.'
- The final report is available here
