Public Sector
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The learning and development of young children across the UK has taken a significant hit during the pandemic, with many children missing out on 18 months or more of school and nursery due to repeated lockdowns and quarantining.
This slowdown has caused a major problem across the country, with many children and families struggling to reach their target milestones in speech and language, physical development and social and emotional development.
The Family Hubs Network has played an important role in ensuring that young people and their families receive the support that they need both during and post-pandemic. Digitising Family Hubs is one way that we at Beebot can help families in their time of need.
Learning and development is a catch-all term that’s used to describe all of the stages that children reach as they grow and learn. L&D is usually broken down into three distinct categories:
Children require interaction with others to develop in all three of these key areas, each of which is considered fundamental in a child’s early development. Without the building blocks that these skills form, children may be disadvantaged throughout their entire school career.
Another group of children and young people that’s been disproportionately disaffected by Covid-19 lockdowns and school closures is children with learning disabilities who require additional support. This might include neurodivergent children with conditions like autism and ADHD, or children with physical disabilities and other significant impairments.
Most of the time, these families are offered support via local family hubs and school outreach programmes. However, multiple lockdowns meant that very few families were able to access regular support and children suffering from learning disabilities were left to fall further behind their peers. In some cases, children with autism and Aspergers may have even regressed developmentally due to the lack of social opportunities during the pandemic.
While successive lockdowns arguably saved lives and protected the NHS during an unprecedented pandemic, it’s important now that steps are taken to help children and families to recover from the damage done by the pandemic. Ensuring that these children are able to receive the support that they need to catch up with their peers and reach developmental milestones is paramount to the future of their education.
One survey carried out by Ambitious About Autism shows just how far-reaching the effects of lockdown have been on young people with autism:
As well as contributing to depression and anxiety, poor mental health also impacts learning outcomes and academic results. Without appropriate interventions, a generation of autistic children and teenagers could find themselves seriously disadvantaged by the effects of the pandemic.
Another group of children and young people that’s been disproportionately disaffected by Covid-19 lockdowns and school closures is children with learning disabilities who require additional support. This might include neurodivergent children with conditions like autism and ADHD, or children with physical disabilities and other significant impairments.
Most of the time, these families are offered support via local family services and school outreach programmes. However, multiple lockdowns meant that very few families were able to access regular support and children suffering from learning disabilities were left to fall further behind their peers. In some cases, children with autism and Aspergers may have even regressed developmentally due to the lack of social opportunities during the pandemic.
While successive lockdowns arguably saved lives and protected the NHS during an unprecedented pandemic, it’s important now that steps are taken to help children and families to recover from the damage done by the pandemic. Ensuring that these children are able to receive the support that they need to catch up with their peers and reach developmental milestones is paramount to the future of their education.
Recognising the serious impact that lockdowns have had on children’s learning and development across the country, the UK government has announced an additional £4.7 billion in the budget for schools in England, though this will only start from 2024 or 2025 – a delay that could serve to widen the attainment gap in the meantime.
In addition to this, a £2.6 billion allocation of capital funding for new school places has been set aside for children with special educational needs and disabilities, as well as £1.8 billion for post-COVID education recovery. Rishi Sunak has also announced that funding ‘per pupil’ to schools will increase to 2010 levels after over a decade of austerity in schools.
For families with additional support needs, the government appears to be taking less action. Many parents, families and teachers are still struggling with re-introducing the routine of the school day to children and young people with autism, and backlogs for services like speech and behavioural therapy caused by lockdowns mean that accessing support services is now harder than ever. Family Hubs are more important than ever.
Beebot is helping families across the UK to recover from the impacts of lockdown on childhood learning and development by digitising Family Hubs content and services. The Family Hubs network supports families who are struggling to meet developmental milestones or manage the additional needs of children and young adults.
Our AI solution consolidates all of the information and support offered by local Family Hubs into a single mobile app for families. Parents of children with additional needs can sign up and receive bespoke advice and information based on their specific needs, and all parents can receive guidance on the learning and development milestones that their children should be reaching and how to help them to reach these targets on schedule.
We hope that our automated solutions can help families across the UK stay on track in this challenging post-pandemic environment. To find out more about the Beebot app, book your demo today.
