School and nursery closures have led to children regressing in basic learning and social skills, with some toddlers back in nappies and primary school pupils forgetting how to spell, the regulator has warned.
A national review found that young children who spent less time with parents and other children during lockdown experienced the worst slippage, regardless of social background.
Ofsted conducted interviews with the heads of more than 900 schools, nurseries, children’s homes and special education providers to determine how children had been affected by the disruption of the pandemic.
It found that in pre-school children the biggest concern was about personal development. Some youngsters had gone back to wearing nappies, particularly those whose parents could not work flexibly.
More than half of the providers
