RECEPTION children have fallen behind in their learning due to Covid-19 disruption, according to a new report out today (May 18).

The study of reception year children aged four to five was focused on a cohort who were all aged three or four during the first lockdown from March 2020, while in the second and third lockdowns they were in their reception year.

It found that parents and schools felt that children had been disadvantaged in their social and emotional wellbeing, language and numeracy skills when entering reception classes in 2020 because of their experiences in the pandemic.

Four and five year olds were less likely to meet expected levels of development in 2021 than before the pandemic, and the proportion of children in the sample reaching expected levels in all areas was 59 per cent in 2021 compared with 72 per cent for the 2019 cohort.

The difference is equivalent to an average of three more children in every classroom not reaching the expected levels by the end of the school year.

In a survey of schools supporting the findings, it was found that when this cohort of children started school in 2020, over three-quarters, 76 per cent, said that they needed more support than those starting school before the pandemic, although this had fallen to just over half - 56 per cent - by the end of the school year.

Amy Hunter, is the phonics and Key Stage 1 English trust lead at York-based Ebor Academy Trust, which operates 24 schools across York, Selby, on the Yorkshire Coast and in the East Riding and Hull.

She said: "This is really interesting research and something that is definitely a concern for our staff across the trust.

"Many children have started school without the tier one vocabulary - the everyday language that children are normally exposed to. Face masks also obscure facial expression, which has contributed to how children understand the meaning behind the words we hear. Children naturally begin to copy facial movements in their early talk and this helps to develop their muscles to be able to pronounce sounds – many of these things were not able to happen and therefore many children do not understand the meaning behind the words they hear but have also missed the stage where they begin to mimic sentences.

"With this taken away, it widens the vocabulary gap but also increases misunderstanding of early language which has impacted on other areas such as Personal, Social and Emotional development. Experience to noises in the environment, animals, seeing, interacting and talking to others has also hindered their speech.

"Many of the early referrals to SALT (speech and language therapy) were not made at the two year check or in the early stages before starting school due to the pandemic so this work is now having to be done later but has also meant that many of the schools' curriculum designs start with oracy as this is the focus across.

"Parenting classes, stay and play sessions and other initiatives can happen again - face to face - in schools so many EYFS teachers are using these to model and learn together.

"Vocabulary is a huge agenda across the country. As a trust we have ensured the children are exposed to high quality story books, rhymes and poems throughout the day as well as teaching new language to widen their understanding and word bank. We are fortunate to have rigorous assessment systems in place and links to specialists to support with closing this gap across the trust."

The study, commissioned by the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and conducted by a team from the University of York, National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) and the Education Policy Institute (EPI), was based on 94 schools and 1,105 families, using Early Years Foundation Stage Profile data for 3,253 children overall.

Becky Francis, chief executive of the EEF, said: “The early years are such a crucial time for children’s development, both in terms of their attainment outcomes and their social and emotional wellbeing.

“So it is particularly concerning that fewer children reached the expected levels of development by the end of reception class.”