‘Considerably more’ ethnic minority and disadvantaged children missed out on early learning due to Covid

According to ‘Implications of Covid for Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) in England’, the number of children attending ECEC in autumn 2021 dropped to 90 per cent of expected levels compared to pre-pandemic patterns.

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

Funded by the Nuffield Foundation, it also reveals that the uptake of funded entitlement places among disadvantaged two-year-olds dropped 7 percentage points (from 69 per cent to 62 per cent). 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.

Interviews with parents, providers and local authority early years teams highlight the impact missing out on early learning has had on children including speech and language delays, a negative effect on physical development and motor skills, children struggling to adapt to new situations and develop self-regulation resulting in increased social, emotional and mental health needs.

Early years practitioners who were spoken to also raised concern that the development gap is widening and the drop in participation of disadvantaged children attending settings may now become permanent.

Parents and carers reported the ‘enormous’ challenge of caring for their children with little or no support from early years services. Mothers in particular felt the strain, with some being forced to take unpaid leave from their job or reduce their working hours. According to the research, many saw their mental health negatively impacted.

The research also highlights the financial impact of the pandemic on childcare providers, which it finds had ‘serious implications’ for children with complex needs as settings struggled to support them. It says in some cases this meant providers had to prioritise children who ‘generate more income’.

Principal investigator Ivana LaValle 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.’

'We need a wholesale review of the purpose and provision of early childhood education and care'

Eleanor Ireland, education programme head, at the Nuffield Foundation, said, ‘The Covid-19 pandemic has had a marked effect on young children's development, in part because many children did not attend early childhood education and care settings. However, even before the pandemic, the sector was experiencing issues in terms of quality, accessibility, affordability and sustainability. 

‘We need a wholesale review of the purpose and provision of early childhood education and care, including how to improve access and outcomes for children from ethnic minority and disadvantaged backgrounds. Such a review also needs to consider the fairest and most sustainable funding model and how the people providing care can be appropriately skilled and remunerated.’

The Early Years Alliance called the findings showing the greatest impact of the pandemic was felt by disadvantaged children and those from ethnic minorities ‘deeply concerning’. It also raised concern that children with complex needs could have missed out on a childcare place due to the financial impact of Covid on settings.

Chief executive Neil Leitch said, ‘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.’

• The report is available here