The concept of school readiness has been the focus of much discussion over many years. In England, it has historically been used to describe children transitioning from the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) to Year 1 and whether they had achieved a Good Level of Development (GLD). However, the conversation has recently shifted towards whether children are ‘ready’ to start Reception.

As highlighted in the Kindred Squared January 2025 report, almost half of the teachers surveyed said the situation had worsened compared to September 2023. Specific concerns raised included children struggling to play or share with others, an inability to listen and follow simple instructions, and, notably, a quarter of children not being toilet trained.

Concerningly, the report also revealed a growing disconnect between schools’ expectations of school readiness and the views of parents. Almost half of the parents surveyed believed it was the school’s responsibility to teach their children key developmental skills.

Ofsted’s Best Start in Life report similarly highlights the varied experiences children have in their early years before starting school—differences that are possibly being reflected in the profile of children entering Reception classes.

In response to this, a new guide, Starting Reception, was published this Spring. Developed by a coalition of early years organisations and endorsed by the Department for Education (DfE), the guide aims to help parents with their understanding of what will help their child make the best start in Reception. It introduces a proposed definition of ‘reception readiness’ and outlines key skills that schools typically expect children to have before their first day.

It is structured around four key themes:

• Growing Independence
• Building Relationships and Communicating
• Physical Development
• Healthy Routines

The guide sets out practical, play-based activities—from simple games to self-care routines—that can be practiced at home. It is designed to be downloadable, brandable by schools, and used collaboratively with early years providers such as nurseries and childminders.

As with any guidance of this nature, we recommend discussing it with your team and consider how best to communicate its messages to your parent community. As the Kindred Squared report identifies, the gap between home and school expectations may be widening. Any approach to school or reception readiness must therefore be handled with sensitivity and avoid appearing judgmental. If parents are being asked to engage in this process, we must also consider what support is available to help them—this could include signposting to local services such as Family Hubs.

Finally, while much of the debate has centred on whether children are ready for school, it is equally important to ask whether schools are ready for children. Reception teams have shared with us the increasing levels of need they are seeing each year.  It is crucial that they are fully supported—both practically and in terms of child development knowledge—to ensure every child and family has the best possible start to school life.

We’ll be discussing school readiness and more, exploring the latest research and tools to help support effective classroom practice at our Summer Senior Leader Briefing on Tuesday 10th June, 1-3pm. Join us for this high-impact session, offering an essential update on the national education agenda, with a spotlight on early years and KS1. Designed to keep you ahead of key policy changes including accountability and inspection reforms and equip you with practical tools to support your team and lead with clarity into the next academic year. We look forward to seeing you there.

At Early Excellence we continue to offer a broad range of tools to support you and your team.  Explore our Leadership Reflection Tools, School Leader CPD programme, and our Head-to-Head Podcasts, to discover more.