The eighth module of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry will examine the pandemic’s impact on children and young people across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. It will look at how vulnerable youngsters were supported and how decisions on schools, lockdowns and related measures were made. The inquiry is expected to hear from former education secretary Sir Gavin Williamson in the coming weeks. In a previous module, a former No 10 adviser described the government’s handling of the Marcus Rashford free school meals campaign as a “huge blunder”, and the debate over public finances at the time reportedly sidelined the needs of hungry children.

Baroness Anne Longfield, England’s children’s commissioner until February 2021, is due to give evidence on Thursday. She has described the pandemic as a “disaster” for many disadvantaged and already vulnerable children and criticised what she called an indecisive and sometimes indifferent government approach to policy decisions. She told the PA news agency that children were “often overlooked when important decisions were made” and that many in the Covid generation had suffered “devastating” consequences such as anxiety, poor mental health, lost learning and reduced life chances.

Education unions say the hearings should yield lessons for future crises. NAHT’s James Bowen said the pandemic stretched the relationship between the profession and government to breaking point. NASUWT’s Matt Wrack said many mistakes had been made, which made a difficult period harder. Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said providers felt poorly supported and faced muddled guidance, and urged that future contingency planning prioritise equity to prevent disadvantaged children from falling further behind.