Children 'left behind' by covid, says charity
BBCA charity supporting families in deprived areas of Leeds said a cohort of children has been "left behind" after the covid lockdown.
Flourishing Families said some of the children it works with, who were born during the pandemic, have struggled with speech delays, literacy and social skills.
CEO Kate Colbrook said: "We see the effects now from the pandemic five years ago. I worry for what we might see in another five years time, another ten years time."
The Department for Education said it was "determined" to get tens of thousands of children school-ready by the age of five, with the Covid inquiry set to examine the impact of the lockdown on children.
Ms Colbrook said she felt the pandemic had exacerbated inequalities with a "huge and widening gap" remaining between the poorest and most affluent.
"I think we're facing a cohort now of left behind children," she said.
Flourishing Families runs "storytellers" sessions with primary school children and parents who may have struggled to develop reading habits during lockdowns.
Literacy Lead Bekah Atkins said there were "all sorts of reasons" why this could have happened, including parents having to work more and manage multiple children at home without schools.
"We see some of the impact of that in children today. When they pick up a book, [some of them] don't know what to do with it," she said.
Stephanie believes her daughter, Abigail, who was one when the first lockdown was announced, faced a big developmental impact due to the isolation.
She had had to home-school her older child while caring for Abigail as a baby, she said.
"Abigail became delayed for a lot of reasons, but I'd personally say covid was the bigger factor," Stephanie added.
"It's about learning behaviour, but she didn't have any of that."
Flourishing Families runs a "play pals" session at a primary school in the Bramley area of the city to help children socialise and develop skills they need for joining reception class.
During the pandemic, similar playgroups had to close at times under lockdown rules, with families forced to stay at home.
Porsha, who volunteers at the sessions as well as bringing her own children, said: "I know lockdown had an impact on my children.
"Once the restrictions were eased, they were less likely to go and make friends in the park. They were very shy around unfamiliar people in unfamiliar settings.
"With services like this available, they can make up for lost time on that."
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said the government's "plan for change" would focus on personal, social and physical development as well as academic skills.
It plans to "break down barriers to opportunity and give every child, regardless of background, the best start in life".
Specifically, they said this would include making high quality childcare more accessible and affordable for families.
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