What Does School Readiness Really Mean in the Early Years?

Why confidence and emotional security matter and what teachers are seeing in classrooms today

For many parents, the phrase school readiness brings images of recognising letters, writing names or mastering numbers before Reception even begins. But focusing only on academics misses the bigger picture. True readiness is both emotional and developmental, not just academic, and recent data and teacher testimony from across England shows that misunderstanding this can have real consequences in classrooms.

A 2026 survey of primary school staff found that nearly four in ten children starting Reception are not considered school ready, with teachers reporting rising numbers of pupils who lack basic life skills such as toilet independence, eating without support and language confidence.* Educators suggest this isn’t just about individual development, but is linked to changes in early years experience, screen use and reduced access to enriching activities before school. *Nursery Management Today, January 2026

At Kidz Kabin, we believe school readiness should be understood broadly, realistically and developmentally. The environments, relationships and daily experiences children receive in their early years, not just at age five, but across the whole foundation stage, shape how confidently they step into school life. Our Guide to Choosing the Right Nursery for Your Child explores how these early environments, relationships and daily rhythms influence children’s confidence, emotional security and long-term development.

What Is School Readiness According to Research?

School readiness refers to a child’s ability to transition into a school environment with confidence, resilience and emotional security. According to early years research and guidance from organisations such as the Early Years Foundation Stage and the Education Endowment Foundation, readiness is built across several interconnected areas.

These include emotional development, social skills, physical independence, communication and a positive attitude towards learning. Academic knowledge may emerge naturally within this process, but it is not the only foundation. For parents wanting to understand how these areas typically develop over time, our EYFS Milestones Guide breaks down what children often need support with at different stages of early childhood.

Many of the skills linked to readiness take time to grow. Children must feel secure, confident and connected before they can genuinely engage with learning. Emotional regulation, the ability to manage feelings when faced with challenge, is one of the strongest predictors of a smooth transition into school.

Children who start school feeling secure, confident and capable of managing everyday experiences are far more likely to thrive than those who have been pushed into formal learning before they are developmentally ready.

School Readiness: What Teachers Are Reporting

Classroom reports show that many children arrive without this foundation of emotional regulation. The Kindred Squared survey, echoed recently in The Guardian commentary in January 2026, found that many pupils become overly distressed when separated from parents, and classroom staff are spending significant time supporting basic emotional regulation before meaningful learning can begin.

Rather than reflecting parenting “failure,” these trends point to changing daily experiences in early years; less shared play, less structured social interaction and, for many children, more time alone or with screens. These patterns influence emotional engagement, attention and confidence long before a child walks into reception.

This is why environments that emphasise responsive relationships and social interaction, consistent routines, shared play and secure attachments - the same principles that Kidz Kabin nurtures every day - are foundational to readiness.

Social Skills and Life Skills Teachers Are Seeing in Practice

True readiness looks like independence and interaction; not just letter knowledge. Yet recent classroom data reveals that many children are starting school without a range of basic life skills:

• More than a quarter were not toilet trained

• Many needed help with eating, dressing or using cutlery

• A significant number struggled with simple communication tasks

• Some had difficulty sustaining attention or engaging with books rather than screens

  
  

Teachers report spending upwards of an hour a day supporting basic skills that would traditionally have been expected before reception.

A separate government-commissioned poll found that a majority of parents did not consider toilet training or basic concentration essential before school*, revealing a disconnect between adult beliefs and classroom realities. *Netmums, October 2025

The skills that matter for children’s success evolve through everyday practice: eating at the table, learning to put on shoes, listening to a story, waiting their turn and expressing needs clearly. Play based, social and real world experiences build the confidence children bring into school.

This is why play-based learning is so powerful in the early years, as we explore in our article Learning Through Play, where everyday experiences build communication, independence and confidence far more effectively than formal instruction.

Why Outdoor and Play-Based Experiences Matter in Practice

Many teachers and early years experts are now calling attention to the impact of how children spend their time before school. Research from the Children of the 2020s study found that toddlers in England are spending an average of two hours a day on screens*, twice the recommended limit, and that elevated screen use is associated with weaker spoken language outcomes and higher behavioural challenges. *University College London, January 2026

Teachers have described seeing children who try to turn pages of books as though they were digital screens*, reflecting a shift in early engagement with media rather than print. These observations underline what many early years specialists have been saying: children’s daily experiences before school have a profound impact on readiness. *Nursery Management Today, January 2026

This matters because social communication, attention and physical confidence are foundational readiness skills. Children who spend time in engaging, shared experiences such as conversation, imaginative play and outdoor exploration develop the capacity to think, focus, collaborate and regulate emotions. We explore this in more depth in What Are the Benefits of Forest School for Early Childhood Development, where outdoor learning is shown to support emotional regulation, resilience and confidence in young children.

These experiences build core skills that children bring confidently into their first school year. It also reinforces why our earlier article, Screen Time for Babies and Toddlers: What the Research Really Says and Why Early Habits Matter, is so relevant: early screen habits can displace these foundational experiences and make school transition harder for some children. Reducing passive screen use and prioritising shared, real-world experiences can make a meaningful difference to children’s language, focus and readiness for school.

At Kidz Kabin, this rationale underpins everything we do, from immersive outdoor learning, such as in our Woodland Wonders programme, to responsive play-based nursery environments. It is why we place such emphasis on shared experiences, real world interaction and human connection over passive screen consumption.

Independence and Practical Confidence

Independence doesn’t stem solely from age. Rather, it’s about opportunity and practice. Children who have time to try, fail, ask for help and succeed, whether dressing themselves, clearing up after play or managing self-care, arrive at school with a sense of independence that supports learning.

Outdoor exploration, self-directed play, social routines and collaborative problem solving all build independence in context. These activities also support the same muscular confidence and coordination many teachers report seeing less of in classrooms, from core strength to fine motor skills needed for writing instruments.

These competencies are exactly the ones nurtured through thoughtful, developmentally aligned nursery experiences that balance challenge with support.

Where Early Academics Fit In (When Children Are Ready)

At Kidz Kabin, school readiness is not about choosing between emotional development and early academics. The two are deeply connected.

When children feel secure, confident and engaged, they are far more receptive to early literacy and numeracy. This is why phonics, letters, numbers and early reading are introduced thoughtfully and playfully, particularly within our Green Room, where children are developmentally ready and curious about learning.

Our Rocket Readers programme supports children who show an interest in early reading, alongside phonics, letter formation and early mathematical concepts. Importantly, this learning is never forced or worksheet-led. Children might count sticks in the woodland, recognise letters in their environment, measure ingredients during cooking or explore patterns through play.

This approach ensures children develop strong academic foundations without pressure, preserving their confidence, curiosity and love of learning. It reflects what research consistently shows: children learn best when academic skills are embedded in meaningful, playful and emotionally secure experiences.

Ready for School, Ready for Life

Ultimately, school readiness is not about being ahead of peers in academic content. It is about being prepared to engage, persist and connect in a new environment. Children who can regulate emotion, communicate needs, play with others, navigate routines and trust that adults will meet their needs are naturally equipped for confident school transitions.

The experiences children receive in their early years, such as relationship-rich play, social routines, explorative outdoor learning and responsive adult interaction, planted long before Reception, are the real determinants of success.

This is why environments built on warm relationships and meaningful learning, like those at Kidz Kabin, matter so deeply.

A Round Up of Thoughts

School readiness is not a checklist. It is a developmental journey shaped by experience, connection and support.

If you are considering how best to prepare your child for this transition, our Guide to Choosing the Right Nursery for Your Child offers deep insight into how environments, relationships and rhythms of early years learning lay the foundations for confident, curious and resilient learners.