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The Alliance has commented on Ofsted's newly published Education recovery in early years providers: autumn 2021 report, a briefing on the continued impact of the pandemic and education recovery, drawing on evidence from inspections that Ofsted carried out in autumn 2021. The briefing is part of its Covid-19 education recovery series. 

The full document can be accessed here: 

Commenting, Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, said:

“We know that the pandemic has had a significant effect on the learning and development of young children, many of whom have spent the majority of their lives under some form of Covid-19 restrictions. As such, it is encouraging to see that early educators’ efforts to do all they can to support the children in their care to recover from the challenges of the past two years is having such a positive impact.

“That said, with the long-term effects of Covid-19 restrictions on young children still yet to be fully known, and many of those children impacted by the pandemic yet to attend an early years setting, it’s clear that the challenges facing the early years sector when it comes to supporting education recovery are far from over.

“To date, just 3% of overall education recovery programme funding has been allocated to the early years. Providers are working hard to uphold their responsibilities to children and families – the government must now uphold theirs to the sector by providing the support that providers need to deliver the best possible care and education throughout the pandemic and beyond.�