School and nursery closures due to Covid-19 have left potty-trained youngsters now needing nappies and dummies, according to inspectors.
Ofsted added that some primary pupils have forgotten how to use cutlery while others have lost ‘stamina’ in reading and writing and fallen behind in maths.
Older pupils are struggling to write for long periods and ‘stay awake and alert’ as they remain ‘disconnected’ from learning and are physically unfit.
Amanda Spielman, chief inspector of schools, said the ‘majority’ of children across the country ‘have slipped back in their learning to varying degrees’.
Ofsted carried out more than 900 visits in September and October to education and social care providers, finding that children ‘of all ages and backgrounds, have lost some basic skills and learning as a result of school closures’.
But Miss Spielman said the hardest hit were pre-school youngsters whose parents were unable to work more flexibly.
These pre-school youngsters had ‘experienced the double whammy of less time with parents and less time with other children’.
The head of Ofsted said: ‘Leaders reported regression back into nappies among potty-trained children and others who had forgotten some basic skills they had mastered, such as eating with a knife and fork – not to mention the loss of early progress in words and numbers.
‘We were told of older children losing stamina when it came to reading and writing; some who had lost physical fitness; and others showing signs of mental distress, including an increase in eating disorders and self-harm.’
Facing MPs this morning in the wake of the report, Ms Spielman described a ‘tough picture where some kids have thrived but a substantial proportion have not’ because of the closures
School and nursery closures due to Covid-19 have left potty-trained youngsters now needing nappies and dummies, according to inspectors (File image)
Facing MPs this morning in the wake of the report, Ms Spielman described a ‘tough picture where some kids have thrived but a substantial proportion have not’.
‘Some have done very badly … for a very large proportion of kids I think perhaps the hope of being essentially children’s lives could be put on pause without too much harm, I think we are seeing that the educational, developmental consequences of that have been very significant for a lot of our children,’ she added.
Ofsted visited 208 early years settings such as childminders, private nurseries and maintained nursery schools last month.
Inspectors discovered some children had become ‘less independent’, ‘less confident and more anxious’ since the first national lockdown.
They had returned to their setting using dummies and comforters ‘at an older age than providers would usually expect’.
They were also back in nappies despite previously being toilet trained while others had forgotten ‘how to play’ as they did not have access to the same quality of toys at home.
The Ofsted briefing on early years said some providers are now focusing more on developing independent skills ‘such as dressing, toileting and using a knife and fork, as they felt these skills had suffered’.
Four in five early years providers said children’s maths and literacy skills had ‘either not progressed or had declined’.
Eighty four per cent said youngsters’ personal, social and emotional development had fallen behind or just stayed the same over the last six months.
However, the report also notes that many children who were at home ‘thrived when their parents were able to spend quality time with them’.
Ofsted also visited 266 primary, 87 secondary schools and 27 pupil referral units and special schools.
Four in five early years providers said children’s maths and literacy skills had ‘either not progressed or had declined’ (File image)
In primary schools, some younger pupils are ‘experiencing increased attachment to their parents or home’ as a result of being off lessons for so long.
They have ‘lost elements of independence, for example forgetting how to use a knife and fork’ as well as their reading skills.
Writing is an issue in primaries, including ‘writing at length, spelling, grammar, presentation, punctuation and handwriting’.
Primaries are attempting to build up youngsters’ ‘stamina’ again for writing at length.
They are ‘prioritising reading and mathematics’, which has led to a reduction in depth or suspension of other subjects.
Many children have fallen behind in maths, with ‘oral fluency’ also regressing.
In secondaries, literacy and maths is ‘a concern’, with pupils again ‘finding it difficult to write for long periods of time’.
Across primary and secondary schools, pupils’ ‘concentration or their mental and physical stamina has reduced’.
According to the report, most schools continued to report that pupils were happy to be back with pupils described as ‘confident, resilient, calm and eager to learn’.
But the Ofsted briefing on schools also noted: ‘Some leaders said pupils were fatigued, ‘disconnected’ from learning or struggling to stay awake and alert.
Teachers reported social media had played a part in the students’ behaviour and anxieties as some had fallen out online during lockdown with rows continuing now they are back at school
‘Even though good behaviour was not just a ‘honeymoon period’ according to some leaders, others have perceived deterioration in pupils’ behaviour and willingness to follow rules compared with when they first returned to school in September.’
Schools also noted that social media had created issues with some students’ behaviour and caused anxiety others.
For example, leaders explained how some pupils had fallen out with each other through social media during the first national lockdown, and said that these issues were continuing now pupils were back at school.
Other pupils had not had any access to social media at all during this period, which had led to them feeling isolated from their peers and out of step with them now they were back at school.
The briefing also stated that schools reported many students, particularly boys, had spend the first national lockdown on video games with friends.
Children have gained weight as physical fitness has declined and several schools have reported increases in self-harming cases.
Ofsted said more pupils are believed to be suffering from eating disorders and that there had been an increase in cases of self-harming, largely over the period when schools were closed to most pupils.
In primary schools, some younger children had developed an increased attachment to parents and their home as a result of being at home for so long while others needed to relearn how to make and keep friends.
Leaders at alternative provision schools were ‘very concerned’ about their pupils’ experiences, according to the report.
It stated: ‘They talked about some pupils having become more involved in criminal exploitation, including gang violence, and child sexual exploitation.
Some leaders at alternative provision schools reported serious concerns about pupils being increasingly involved in criminal exploitation during the first national lockdown (stock image)
‘Leaders talked about seeing rises in anxiety levels and aggression. As a result, leaders felt the need to put in place additional pastoral support.
‘One AP setting described how it had implemented mentoring and additional PSHE sessions specifically to help pupils to understand more about the dangers of becoming involved in criminal activities.’
In regards to staff, Ofsted noted that most head teachers were reporting that while staff were showing ‘resilience’, they were also ‘tired or exhausted, and that workload had increased’.
Schools described the increased pressure on teachers to deal with the additional challenges presented by Covid-19 as ‘unsustainable’.
The report added that in some schools, leaders reported their budgets were also significantly affected due to the cost of PPE, sanitising materials and actions taken to make the school environment safe and accessible.
In response to the report, James Bowen, director of the National Association for Head Teachers (NAHT), said: ‘School budgets were already incredibly tight.
‘The government’s refusal to recognise the financial difficulties schools are now facing due to Covid-19 and fully reimburse them for the money they have been required to spend to make schools safe, means that not only is money being taken away from children’s education and wellbeing, it could push some schools over the edge financially.
‘It will be some time before will know the true extent of the impact of the current crisis on pupils’ learning, and it is clear that the effects will go on for some time yet.
‘However, it comes as no surprise that school leaders are reporting that the last nine months have had a negative impact on many pupils.
‘What is needed now is a multi-professional approach to ensure every child gets the support they need, and a government that is prepared to support those families and pupils that have been hardest hit.’
Meanwhile the National Education Union criticised Ofsted’s decision to hold the visits and called for the Government to go further with their support for schools during the pandemic.
Dr Mary Bousted, of the National Education Union, has called for more Government support for schools during the pandemic and said leaders should be allowed to focus on running schools
Dr Mary Bousted, Joint General Secretary of the National Education Union, said: ‘We welcome the Chief Inspector’s acknowledgement that school leaders are working tirelessly to ensure a continuity of learning in schools and colleges this term, in extremely testing circumstances.
‘It is difficult, however, for anyone in education to take seriously the notion that an Ofsted visit is ‘non judgemental’.
‘Leaders must be allowed to focus on the difficult business of running a Covid-secure school or college.
‘With many partially closed, and increasingly so, leaders are already fully aware of the impacts on learning and are doing everything they can to maintain a continuity for the young people in their care.
‘This is hampered by government. The resources and support children and young people need during these stressful times cannot be magicked out of thin air.
‘School budgets as we know were already stretched to breaking point before the pandemic, with Covid the final straw.
‘It is right that the Chief Inspector is standing up for schools, but she could go much further.
‘Inspections should be suspended, certainly those planned for January, and she must align herself with schools in calling on Government for more teachers, smaller bubbles, extra buildings and curriculum flexibility.
‘That is how best she and her colleagues in Ofsted can support schools, colleges and nurseries, and stop Covid disrupting education.’
A Department for Education spokesman said: ‘We know that some children do need additional support to catch up as a result of the pandemic, which is why we launched a £1 billion Covid catch up fund for schools to support those children who need it.
‘Our National Tutoring Programme is now live in schools, providing intensive support to the most disadvantaged children. The evidence shows high quality tutoring can make up as much as three to five months’ lost learning.’