The Princess of Wales arrives at a London primary school to launch a new project from the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood. The focus of the project is on helping young children develop primary skills.
Speaking as someone who is still in the trenches with the little ones as a retired teacher now substitute, there's definitely a need for children to have these opportunities to develop their social skills. It was already obvious to me prior to the pandemic that there's been a noticeable decline in the social skills of the pre-Kindergarten/kindgergarten (4-5) year olds. The pandemic just exacerbated the issue. My colleagues and I observed this decline in those born after 2011. This is around the time that smart mobile devices became available and affordable to the general public.

I was 5 in 1970/71, my first year of school - ah, shitty kindergarten. All I can remember is... being pulled from my wandering outdoor ways and my imaginary friends (and a couple of real ones) into this strange, hostile - or at least unfriendly?- environment, where there were so.many.strangers. telling me what to do and when, and being surrounded by dozens of children I didn't know; who seemed parts overwhelmed/bullying (either crying, or exclaiming "that's my toy"). SOCIAL SKILLS. - I'm sorry ... I can't help but almost laugh ... a kind of dry "haah"... Honestly I do wonder,-even with nursery schools and day care which today's children will have experienced- has the shock of school really changed that much?