Researchers at the universities of Essex, Surrey and Birmingham have published findings from a Nuffield Foundation funded study looking at the role of school closures in England on the emotional and behavioural wellbeing of children aged 5-11. The study found a significant rise in emotional and behavioural difficulties among primary school children following the 2020 spring and summer term school closures, and that this rise was greater for children who were not prioritised to return to school for six weeks before the summer holiday.
This article in the Guardian looks at the experiences of 16 children and young people aged 6- 17 across the UK who share their feelings on spending the past year at home during lockdown.
The Department for Education (DfE) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) have announced that a group including ministers, charities and the Youth Ambassador Dr Alex George have met to look at the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the mental health and wellbeing of children, young people and education staff across England.
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Sources: Nuffield Foundation / NSPCC / Guardian
Date: March 2021