Primary school students still struggling with 'consequences of lockdown'

A report from Ofsted has revealed that primary schools are having to teach infants how to communicate, as they struggle to make friends or cope with lessons because of speech and language difficulties.

The research found that much of this can be attributed to the Covid pandemic and that it is "still having an impact on children's behaviour and social skills."

Schools told inspectors that the “consequences of lockdowns” meant that “children were starting reception with delayed communication and language, poor self-help skills and emotional difficulties”.

The inspectors said some schools were adapting their curriculum for four-year-olds in reception classes, “to provide extra help for children with speech, language and communication difficulties. Increasing numbers of children joining reception were experiencing these difficulties. This made it hard for them to express their wants and needs or to make friends and experience high-quality play.”

Martyn Oliver, Ofsted’s chief inspector, said: “It’s encouraging that there has been some good progress in improving the teaching of early reading and mathematics in primary schools. But schools are still having to navigate the impact of the pandemic, and many children are still catching up on lost learning.

“It is those children who are most vulnerable who benefit most from a strong start to their education.”

The report also found that some schools do not identify clearly enough the knowledge that children need to learn during early years classes, meaning teachers do not know what to prioritise in their teaching and assessment.

They said that curriculums are often overloaded with activities that do not focus on helping children to build fluency in foundational knowledge and skills.

The report found that "teaching handwriting only in phonics sessions, as some schools do, is part of the problem. It means that children do not learn the basics of letter formation that establish the foundations for speedy and fluent handwriting later on."

It continued: "Schools do not always allocate enough time for children to practise what they have been taught so that they remember it."