Early Connections: Partnering with parents for a strong start in school

At the beginning of every school year, the news is full of statistics about the percentage of children who struggle to access reception because of a lack of school readiness. With parents eager to do the best for their children and schools increasingly working to support this vital transition, we held an event to investigate aspects of school readiness more deeply, and how to build relationships with families before their children even start at the school.

At this partnership event with Kindred Squared, we dug into what it means for children to be school ready, including the Starting Reception Checklist designed to assist parents and schools with this crucially important transition. Expert practitioners from Ark and E-ACT shared their own successful strategies for supporting school transition. Attended in person and online by a mix of schools, nursery settings, parent organisations and others, the event highlighted the benefit of having a consistent and easy to use tool to support school readiness.