The report was written by OFSTED and was highlighting the fact that children, particularly young children, have regressed as a result of lockdown. GrauntyHelen is correct in saying that young children often regress as a response to stress and anxiety. It’s obvious that when children’s normal routines were abruptly discontinued and everyone was stressed, parents suddenly working from home, or children suddenly finding themselves in key worker care, like my little grandson who was at the time two years old, who was abruptly placed into key worker care and he was deprived of my husband and I who usually cared for him. How can children not suffer anxiety? How can they not pick up on the general anxiety around them? All normal family visits and family life abruptly halted! How can it not affect them? Toilet training and cutlery are not important in these times. Love, reassurance, stability (as much as was possible under the circumstances) these are what is important. Parents were generally doing their best under difficult circumstances. My daughter, who was working as a key worker, was stressed about the little one not being potty trained. I told her not to worry, there’s plenty of time, concentrate on what’s important, love, cuddles, routines as near possible as normal. The same with her six year olds. She stressed that she hadn’t time to do home schooling and not much teaching was happening in key worker care. As an ex teacher I told not to worry, when you’re at home take them out, keep them active, don’t worry about school work, and give them lots of love and reassurance. Make sure they’re happy.
Let’s not have a culture of blame. The children regressed because they were anxious. That’s why.