With a significant decline in children starting Reception ‘school ready’, the UK Government has published new guidance for parents and carers.
In January 2026, Kindred Squared published its School Readiness Survey, 2025, where they collected data from both primary school staff and parents/carers of primary school children around ‘school readiness’.
This is an annual survey so they can measure trends in this year upon year. For clarification, Kindred defines ‘school ready as children “being developmentally ready to access the learning and development opportunities available to them in Reception, where this is not due to a previously identified Special Educational Need or Disability (SEND).”
Key survey findings
- Teachers reported that 37% of children in their 2025 cohort did not start Reception school ready – a significant decline from 2024.
- Comparatively, 88% of parents say their child is ready for school and 35% that their child is ‘more ready than most.
- An average of 2.4 hours of teaching time is lost daily due to catch up needs with 1.4 hours alone spent supporting toileting.
- 26% of children starting Reception were not toilet trained (36% in the North East) but 86% of parents did identify this was mainly their responsibility with 22% thinking a child doesn’t need to be toilet trained by the time they reach Reception.
- Primary staff said 28% of children unable to eat and drink independently.
- 25% of children were reported to struggle with basic language skills.
- 32% of children become overly upset when away from parents and 28% of parents say they are not confident in the supporting the development of this independence.
- School readiness is declining more sharply in the North East, West Midlands, North West and London.
- 65% of Reception teachers report boys to be less developmentally ready than girls, particularly in emotional regulation and communication.
The UK Government response
As part of the UK Government’s Best Start in Life hub, it has now published Preparing for school, guidance on this milestone for parents and carers that explains what a child needs to be ‘school ready’ and how parents can help their child ‘ feel confident and prepared, whatever stage they’re at.’ It’s not just about parents/carers though – the guidance sets out ‘how schools, nurseries and childminders should work together as one system around families to get children ready for Reception’. The focus of the guidance is to ensure pupils have the everyday skills to thrive when starting school and beyond.
On the introduction of the guidance, the Minister for Early Education, Olivia Bailey MP said:
“Starting school is a huge milestone – for children and parents…From the moment families receive their school place, they should feel supported with simple, practical ways to help their child build confidence, independence and the skills they need for the classroom. By bringing schools, nurseries, childminders, and families closer together, we can make sure every child gets off to a strong start – arriving at school feeling settled and ready to learn.”
This guidance is also backed by language support specifically, with continued investment (until 2029) in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention (NELI) programme. The programme is designed to help children who need extra support with speech and language during Reception, On average, it has been shown to boost language skills by an additional four months – and up to seven months for children from more deprived backgrounds.
‘Preparing for school’
The guidance has 10 key skills that parents/carers can practice with their child to help them be more confident and comfortable when starting schools. The guidance stresses however that this is not a checklist because every child is different and gives suggestions for how parents/carers can help their child with each of these areas at home.
Areas covered include:
- Using the toilet and washing their hands
- Getting dressed
- Eating independently
- Communicating their wants and needs
- Listening to and following simple instructions
- Interacting happily with others
- Paying attention for short periods of time
- Sharing and taking turns
- Beginning to recognise and talk about their own feelings
- Beginning to spend time away from you.
Importantly, Preparing for school reflects on how every child is different and has a link to resources for supporting children with SEND with this transition.
The guidance also mentions that the Starting Reception website has lots of resources, advice and helpful information including in key areas for school readiness, and it recommends using this to get support. Preparing for School also recommends following the Screen time guidance for under 5s and checking out MC Grammar’s ‘Steps for School’ song.
References
- Kindred Squared (2026) ‘School Readiness Survey 2025’. Available at: https://kindredsquared.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/School-Readiness-Survey-January-2026-Kindred-Squared.pdf (Accessed: 20 April 2026)
- Gov. UK (2026) ‘Press release: New practical advice for families to get children school ready’. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-practical-advice-for-families-to-get-children-school-ready (Accessed: 20 April 2026)
- Best Start in Life, Gov UK (2026) ‘Preparing for school’. Available at: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/preparing-for-school/ (Accessed: 20 April 2026)
