Commenting as the Sutton Trust set out their priorities for the
education recovery plan, calling for early years to be at the
heart of recovery, Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school
leaders' union NAHT, said:
“It is clear that the pandemic has had an impact on young
children, and we agree that the early years must be a priority
for recovery.
“Children who start school already behind often find it
difficult, even impossible, to catch up later, even with
additional help. A good way to mitigate the damage caused by
coronavirus for young children, especially those from
disadvantaged backgrounds, is by investing in early years
education and family services.
“It is of critical importance that the government’s education
recovery plan takes into account more than just academic
'catch-up'. While physical and language development is a concern,
this survey shows that parents are most concerned about the
negative impact of lockdown on their child’s social and emotional
development, from not being able to play with other children. It
is vital that we leave time for children to play and socialise
again and to heal in this way rather than overwhelming them with
additional learning.
“Schools must be given the flexibility to focus their efforts on
what they know works best for recovery and to address wellbeing
as well as academic concerns. The government needs to listen to
the profession on recovery and get it right, or they risk doing
more harm than good.”
