Overview

• Anne Longfield told the Covid-19 inquiry the government made avoidable mistakes that harmed children’s wellbeing and education and said the prime minister should apologise in Parliament after the final report.
• She said children were overlooked in top-level pandemic decisions, leaving no senior voice to represent their interests during 2020–21.
• Longfield criticised the closing and reopening of schools as shambolic and described the “rule of six” as harmful to children’s development.
• She warned that diluted social-care requirements and remote interviews allowed some families to conceal risks, reducing protections for vulnerable children.
• She cited indicators of lasting harm, including higher persistent absence, more EHCPs and a sharp rise in autism diagnoses, with the inquiry set to examine the evidence.