This study by the Nuffield Foundation on the impact of the COVID pandemic on early childhood education and care (ECEC) has revealed that “considerably more” children from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds have missed out on formal early learning.
It found that the number of children attending ECEC in the autumn 2021 had dropped to 90% of expected levels based on pre-pandemic patterns. The latest local authority figures continues to shows substantial variation in attendance rates.
Attendance was lower than expected in areas with large ethnic minority populations, deprived areas, and areas with high unemployment rates. Conversely, attendance rates were higher in local authorities that were less deprived, had higher rates of development amongst two- and five-year-olds and had higher rates of female economic activity and lower unemployment rates.
The uptake of funded entitlement places amongst disadvantaged two-year-olds plummeted 7 percentage points (from 69% to 62%). Of the disadvantaged two-year-olds who dropped out of ECEC between January 2020 and January 2021, ethnic minorities and children with special educational needs were the most likely to have done so.
Speech and language delays were reported across all age groups; children’s physical development and motor skills were negatively impacted; and children struggled to adapt to new situations and develop self-regulation resulting in increased social, emotional and mental health needs. There was also widespread concern among early years practitioners that the development gap is widening and that the drop in participation of disadvantaged children may now become permanent.