The proportion of toddlers at the expected level of development has dropped, according to new Government’s statistics.
The Government's latest annual data on child development outcomes at two to two-and-a-half cover from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. The figures, released yesterday (7 November) show a drop in communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving and personal-social skills in the last year.
The data was collected through an interim reporting system set up to collect health visiting activity data at a local authority resident level.
Purnima Tanuku, chief executive of National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) said: ‘Our members tell us that more and more children attend nursery with additional needs and developmental delay, especially with communication and social skills. We were worried about the impact lockdowns and restrictions would have on children who did not have normal interactions with family members and peers and this data has born that out.
