Evening Standard Comment: We must redress the balance following Covid toll on young

Children’s Minister Will Quince says the Government plans to keep schools open until the normal end of term dates (Jane Barlow/PA)
PA Wire
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

One of the mercies of this pandemic is that Covid-19 rarely leads to severe illness in children. Yet young people have suffered enormously and repeatedly as a result of lockdowns.

In its annual report published today, schools watchdog Ofsted has warned that loneliness, boredom and misery have become endemic among the young. Its chief inspector Amanda Spielman rightly points out that the long-term impact on children is still not known and, having asked the youngest to put their lives and development on hold, “we must strive to redress the balance”.

Lockdowns and other Covid-related rules have had an enormous impact on the mental and physical health of children, and their effects will linger unless we address them.

It has affected educational achievement. Inspectors who undertook monitoring visits found that despite the best efforts of teachers, social workers and parents, “nearly all children” had fallen behind.

It also jeopardised the wellbeing of vulnerable students who fell below the radar and the so-called “ghost children” who have failed to return to school.

This report is a reminder that it is essential for schools to remain open at all costs. We only have one chance at childhood and, alongside the vital public health response, children’s ability to learn and grow must be sacrosanct.

Fired up for the Ashes

The greatest rivalry in test cricket reignites this evening, as England play Australia in the Ashes. In doing so they are taking on not only a nation, but also the weight of history. Only once in the past eight visits Down Under has England come away with the urn.

Fans will be delighted that Covid has not prevented the series from going ahead, though another whitewash might lead to a reassessment.

Daily cartoon

1/30

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in