Teachers and parents tell Elisa Bray about the ‘devastating’ long-term impact of the pandemic on young people, many of whom are still suffering today, three and a half years after schools were first closed. In August, the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza asked Lady Hallett to prioritise the voices of these young people.The group, which includes Save the Children, Just for Kids Law and the Children’s Rights Alliance for England, was established to give written evidence to the inquiry.
Even after the restrictions had been lifted, when the family were staying in an Airbnb, Clare ate from her hand rather than use plates and cutlery for fear of contamination. Today, aged 10, Clare remains “very particular” that the surface she sits on is clean, so at home she has her own chair and corner of the sofa.were especially disruptive to children such as Clare.
Around 11,800 people under the age of 18 began treatment on the NHS for eating disorders in 2022-23, up from 5,240 in 2016-17. Even prior to this academic year’s reception intake, teachers were concerned at how the impact of lockdown would manifest for the youngest pupils. One former primary head told me in June that she had seen an increase in children withAfter all, the isolation of the lockdown regulations meant that those children were at home as toddlers for the bulk of two years, with limited social interaction other than with their parents, and might never have been left with other adults.
One teacher observed that the current reception intake is the most challenging she and her colleagues have seen: physical behaviour towards other children and staff, the inability to sit still or follow instructions, and more children starting school in nappies.