Agroup of pre-Reception children are sitting in a circle at Ark Oval Primary Academy listening to the classic tale of three little owls sitting in a tree waiting for their mother to come home. Their expressions turn from concern to joy when the teacher turns the page to show the mother owl returning to the nest with food for her owlets.
Owl Babies by Martin Waddell is one of the first stories that children are introduced to during the stay-and-play sessions held before they start Reception.
‘What’s lovely about this book is that owl siblings Sarah, Percy and Bill feel worried and sad when mum leaves – but she comes back. It helps reinforce the message that while we say “goodbye” to our parents and carers in the morning, they will be back at the end of the day,’ explains Molly Devlin, early years network lead across Ark’s 39 schools, and head teacher of Ark Start, which runs onsite nurseries.
Being able to cope emotionally when separating from parents and carers is just one of the skills that four-year-olds entering the UK school system need to master in order to become ‘school ready’.
Reception teachers across England and Wales report that 32 per cent of children become ‘overly upset when away from their parents’ and that this, along with other factors, such as dealing with ‘personal care and hygiene issues’, is contributing to 2.5 hours of ‘lost’ teacher time each day.
Being unable to listen and respond to basic instructions, sit still and concentrate for short periods, play and share with others, go to the toilet independently, dress themselves and use cutlery are among the other missing ‘school readiness’ skills cited by teachers in Kindred Squared’s annual school readiness report (see Further information). Other important ‘missing’ milestones identified by teachers include basic verbal skills, being able to hold a pen, recognising letters and numbers, and being familiar with nursery rhymes.
But with growing concerns around Reception pupils and their ‘readiness’ to start primary school, some schools are adopting new ways of working, such as introducing ‘staggered starts or a gradual build up to a full school day, or hiring more TAs [teaching assistants]’, the report states.
SUPPORTING PARENTS
Ark Start Oval is one of the 38 per cent of schools across England and Wales that provides guidance to parents on what being ‘school ready’ means, as part of its wider support for parents and carers in the run-up to starting school.
‘For us, school readiness is a child who is able to positively engage with what school is going to be [like] in September. This goes beyond academic learning. We think about the variety of challenges that a child will face when entering a new setting. Underpinning this is the reality of how a Reception room runs, which is with a legal ratio of one adult for 30 children per class, and the requirement to meet the outcomes outlined in the EYFS framework at the end of Reception,’ Devlin says.
Not being school ready refers to children ‘who are not yet school ready because they haven’t had the right experiences to be school ready’, Devlin says, rather than children who are ‘not meeting their age-related expectations because they have special educational needs, disability or delay’.
Ark Oval teachers aim to ensure that the transition process creates the least stressful environment for children. Their goal is for children to feel happy, confident and ready to thrive in their next stage of education.
‘When a child wets themselves in the classroom and has no knowledge what they need to do next, or if they’re handed a plate of food and have no idea how to use the cutlery provided, this creates stress for the child. Equally, if they’re hot in the classroom and don’t know how to undress and there’s no adult free to help them, they can become increasingly unhappy that they don’t have the skills to meet their needs. These situations raise the level of cortisol in their bodies and make it impossible for them to learn and thrive,’ Devlin says.
WORKING WITH PARENTS
Reception teachers at Ark Oval spend time focusing their efforts on working with parents to support their children to be developmentally ready to access the learning and development opportunities on offer.
During the home visit, they talk through the expectations of what it means to start school. They find out more about the child’s previous experiences and education and ask for parental consent to contact the child’s nursery to arrange a visit.
Teachers then go through a list of the characteristics, skills and knowledge that a child will likely need to start school, and get information and feedback from the parent about how the child is showing those characteristics or providing that knowledge at home. ‘Conversations around things like toilet learning or how they respond to being told “no” get discussed in a non-judgemental way. These insights give teachers a better understanding of the child’s starting point and how they can support families. Having these difficult conversations early also eases the pressure on Reception teachers in September,’ Devlin says.
If a child is not yet independent in toileting, for example, teachers support them to understand the different steps of toilet learning and what they can do at home over the summer holidays to help their child be as independent as possible.
During the Stay and Play session in July, parents have a chance to learn about school life and explore the areas of learning in the Reception classroom. ‘This is an important step in the induction process, particularly for parents whose first child is starting school or if it’s their first time accessing education within the UK,’ Devlin says.
Children who transition from Ark Start Oval, the onsite nursery providing year-round daycare for children from nine months, can also participate in the Good Start Summer Programme held at the school during the summer holidays. This five-week programme covers different areas of learning and provides parents with advice on how to develop skills at home.
LEVELS OF DEVELOPMENT
Reception teachers at Ark Oval say parents are often unaware of what is developmentally appropriate and are ‘more than happy to engage’ when they have built up trust with a respected adult.
This is backed by the Kindred Squared school readiness survey, which highlights the significant divide in perceptions: only eight per cent of parents believe their children are not ready for school, while teachers think the reality is one in three children.
If a child is unable to sit, listen and concentrate for short bursts of time, for example to listen to a story, it is ultimately going to ‘widen that attainment gap’, Devlin says, referring to research which suggests that if you are not ready for school at age five, the chances of falling behind throughout your school career and then later on in life are increased.
‘Stories play a crucial role in language development, particularly in expanding vocabulary and enhancing comprehension skills, which are foundational for reading and writing. To miss out on this because they haven’t had the right lived experiences up until that point to develop them is deeply unfair on the child,’ she adds.
MEETING THE MILESTONES
Teachers responding to Kindred’s survey say children who are behind in their milestones often struggle to manage emotions, express themselves, and connect with classmates. Nursery teachers at Art Start Oval spend a lot of time co-regulating with children, helping them acknowledge what they are feeling and teaching them to self-regulate their impulses.
Devlin says that the 70 per cent of children who move from Ark Start Oval to the primary school ‘disproportionately’ walk into the next stage of education better prepared. ‘They know what is expected of them; they understand who their safe adults are in the school and can engage at a level that is appropriate for them and their next age of education,’ she concludes.
MORE INFORMATION
- Kindred Squared School Readiness Survey, February 2024: kindredsquared.org.uk
- Ark Oval: arkovalprimary.org
