Pandemic hit early education of disadvantaged children hardest, research finds

The number of children attending early childhood education and care settings in autumn 2021 dropped to 90 per cent of expected levels based on pre-pandemic patterns, a study on the impact of Covid-19 on early education reveals.

Latest local authority figures, published by the Department for Education, continues to show “substantial variation” in attendance rates among different local authority areas, the report Implications of COVID for Early Childhood Education and Care in England, funded by the Nuffield Foundation, states.

• Interview: Helen Hayes MP, shadow children and early years minister

• Promoting respect for diversity in the community

“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,” it adds.

The research was carried out by the Centre for Evidence and Implementation, the University of East London, Frontier Economics, Coram Family and Childcare and the Institute for Fiscal Studies.

It also shows that the uptake of funded entitlement places among disadvantaged two-year-olds dropped from 69 per cent to 62 per cent between January 2020 and January 2021.

“Of the disadvantaged two-year-olds who dropped out of early childhood education and care between January 2020 and January 2021, ethnic minorities and children with special educational needs were the most likely to have done so”, the report states.

Speech and language delays were reported by practitioners across all age groups who missed out on early education during the pandemic, researchers found.

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, research adds.

Practitioners have also raised concerns that “the development gap is widening and that the drop in participation of disadvantaged children may now become permanent” due to the impact of lost learning due to the pandemic.

Ivana LaValle, principal investigator on the study, said: “The pandemic has highlighted the pivotal role of early education in children’s social, emotional and cognitive development. But children from disadvantaged and ethnic minority backgrounds, who are most likely to benefit from formal early learning, are also the children most likely to miss out. 

“The inequality gap has widened, with a likely consequence being that the attainment gap also widens. If this trend is to be reversed, there needs to be more funding from government to ensure that disadvantaged children have equity of access to quality early years education, including new statutory responsibilities and funding for local authorities to ensure high quality and accessible childcare provision is a key component of the local offer to families with young children – across the country.”

Responding to the report, Neil Leitch, chief executive of the Early Years Alliance, described the findings as “deeply concerning”.

“All children, regardless of background, should be able to access high-quality early years care and education – but for this to be the case, we need an adequately funded sector with a stable workforce able to deliver this provision, which means greater government investment. 

"Rather than wasting time debating the relaxation of ratios, the government should be focusing on helping the sector recover from the significant and long-lasting impact of the pandemic, and supporting providers to continue delivering the quality care and education that young children both need and deserve,” he said.