Knowledge & Resource Hub

All children have a fundamental right to get an education; the six months children spent out of school this year was the biggest disruption to that right since the second World War. Most children in England were unable to go to school for most, if not all, of lockdown, leading to the loss of roughly […]

Examining school attendance rates during and after lockdown

Focusing on the experiences of children living in mental health wards and how Covid-19 and lockdown has affected their hospital experience

Six months have passed since the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in this country and we entered an unprecedented lockdown. During this time, I have made it my Office’s mission to highlight the risks to children caused by the pandemic and the measures to contain it, particularly the most vulnerable, and push for their interests to […]

A look at what children are worrying about both before, and during lockdown

Children in care living in semi-independent accommodation

A guide for children to tell them some of the changes they might see when they go back to school this September as well as providing tips on how to cope if they’re feeling worried or nervous and helpful resources to stay safe.

Last year, our report Bleak Houses found that there were around 210,000 homeless children in England. This included 120,000 children being housed by their council in temporary accommodation. Temporary accommodation comes in many forms, but unfortunately it is often very poor quality. My team spoke to families living in homes that were cramped, noisy and […]

Given the risks of a second wave of Covid-19 infections leading to the need for further local lockdowns, or even a full national lockdown, this paper sets out the key actions needed to ensure that children are at the heart of planning for future lockdowns.

Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England has been working – in various guises – with vulnerable and disadvantaged children for the last 30 years. In that time much has changed, in children’s lives, and in terms of what we know about how to help them. But one thing has remained constant – a broad consensus […]

Covid-19 has increased many of the risks facing teenagers. Not just in terms of the epidemiological risk, but also in terms of the additional risks that the lockdown itself has created, such as an increased risk of poor mental health, exposure to domestic violence and addiction in the home, and exposure to exploitation. These risks […]

When considering summer schemes, we need to remember the unprecedented impact on children’s education wrought by Covid-19. In a normal week, almost 10 million children in England would be at nursery, school or college. In the week commencing 18th May it was just 240,000 children a day – 2.4% of those who would usually attend. […]