North East parents say pandemic is still impacting children as they start school for the first time

Children across the North East and country born during the pandemic are starting school for the first time this week.

Some of their parents tell us they are concerned about the impact the pandemic had on their child's development.

Wayne Dobson's 4-year-old son Archie was born during lockdown and struggles with social and emotional skills.

He said: "I see it every day with him. I see it in the way he interacts with the world around him. I see it in the way that he goes to the supermarket. He thinks the supermarket is his playground, because that's what he's experienced coming from a COVID lock down baby.

"He wants to touch everything and explore what things are and doesn't really understand the boundaries that you need to behave in those sorts of places. It's quite scary and upsetting that he doesn't see that at the same time.

"From a play environment, if you were to fall over while playing with your mates, you'd dust yourself off and you'd get up and there's almost that thing of you maybe suppress, rightly or wrongly, a cry, or wherever it may be. If Archie was to fall over, he would immediately let you know that he's fallen over, even though he might not be in pain.

"Now that they're in the classroom of 20 or 30, that's 20 or 30 other children all requiring that same level of attention and need that Archie needs, which they’re not going to get because there just isn't the physical ability for the teacher to be able to spend that quality one to one time with each child."

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