Calls for children to be prioritised post-COVID

It’s no surprise that over the course of the past year, children have especially suffered the loss of a lot during COVID-19. With schools on-and-off and socialising hard to do, it’s no wonder many parents are concerned about the experiences their little ones have been missing out on. After all, these formative years of our lives are ones we often look back on with nostalgia and it can be hard knowing that the children of today might not get that same experience.

READ MORE: How is coronavirus affecting the development of children?

This is why, in her final speech after six years of being England’s Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield called upon Prime minister Boris Johnson to prioritise vulnerable children moving forward.

In her touching speech, Longfield says: “I could never have imagined giving my final speech as Children’s Commissioner with children having spent the best part of a year out of school. Even if schools open as planned next month, England’s children will have missed, since the start of the pandemic, 850 million days of in-person schooling – for many, the last line of defence against being forgotten by the system.

“And if the pandemic has taught us one thing, it’s the fundamental role that schools play in vulnerable children’s lives – way beyond teaching.”

Dedicated to helping especially the most vulnerable children, Longfield explains how imperative schooling can be for those that have little else, and remarks that “one year into the pandemic we know most of their lives will have got worse.”

The sad truth of the full effect of the pandemic is something we cannot truly know until reflecting on it in the future. However, even amidst the chaos, we can see that our children have pulled a short straw in all of this. Although addressing the matter of the pandemic needs to come first, it’s considering the steps we should take after that Longfield wants to start.

Looking forward to the future and how recuperations can be made, Longfield explains: “As we come out of the pandemic there is a desperate need to build back better for children.

“We should launch a year of opportunity once the virus has been suppressed.

“Enabling every child, from whatever background, not just to learn in the classroom, but also to develop their own interests at weekends and in the holidays. Finding joy in finding out, with confidence and resilience by forging their own path.

“I want to see the now-empty school rooms, sports halls, and swimming pools being used at evenings, weekends and holidays to help all children catch up with confidence. They can get a meal, a break from home and more time to play with friends.”

Thinking past the pandemic, as a nanny agency in London we understand that every child is different and would have had a unique experience through this time. After a six-year tenure, Anne Longfield has expressed the view of many parents, guardians, teachers and more around the country in wondering what we can do to make the future brighter for our children.

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