A UNIVERSITY of Bradford researcher was in Parliament last week to share her findings on a ‘hidden disability’.

Dr Lucy Eddy was in Westminster and spoke with MPs about how teachers can make life easier for children who have movement skill difficulties.

It is estimated that five per cent of primary school children have some form of movement skills deficit, which some researchers say is a hidden physical disability and inhibits children from fully engaging in education.

Dr Eddy, in partnership with Dr Nick Preston of the University of Leeds, has created FUNMOVES – a one-hour screening tool which primary schools can use to identify and support children who are at risk.

“We know that movement skill difficulties have a number of impacts on education and learning, physical health and social and emotional wellbeing,” she said.

“Children who have movement skills deficits can sometimes be seen as ‘onlookers’ in the playground. Fundamental movement skills, such as running, throwing, catching and jumping, are key to childhood development.

“The National PE curriculum expects children to have mastered these skills by the age of seven, but does not incorporate a formal assessment of these skills.”

A recent study by Born in Bradford, which involved 970 children, revealed opportunities for children to acquire and develop essential movement skills decreased throughout the pandemic, particularly for those in socio-economically deprived areas.

“We know the current method of identifying these children is not working effectively, meaning that children with difficulties are falling through the cracks,” Dr Eddy said.

"Fundamentally, this is about opportunity, and what we know is children with poor movement skills are more prone to health conditions such as obesity.”

The Westminster visit was part of Evidence Week, organised by charity Sense About Science.

As part of the visit, the researchers created a brief outlining a number of policy recommendations for MPs.

The policy brief states: “Movement skills are critically important for school success. Handwriting is a vehicle for learning, and fundamental movement skills are essential within the Early Years curriculum. Unfortunately, children’s movement skills are not currently assessed, meaning many children are not having their educational needs supported.

“However, these deficits can be treated, thus reducing long-term costs to education and health services. Empowering schools to identify and treat children with physical disability could improve educational outcomes and reduce the burden on our public services.”