Case studies
Începerea clasei pregătitoare
Find out more about how local authorities, schools and Multi Academy Trusts are using the Starting Reception definition.
Local authorities
Case Study: Doncaster
Doncaster Local Authority identified a critical gap in its early years education strategy: the absence of a universally agreed-upon definition of the skills children need to make a successful start to school life. This lack of clarity made it challenging to ensure consistency across services and to align support for families, early years settings, and schools.
Case Study: Newcastle
Newcastle is a diverse local authority, with around 30% of children coming from homes where English is spoken as an additional language. Like many areas across the country, Newcastle has seen a decline in 'school readiness' since the COVID-19 pandemic. Fewer children are now starting Reception with the skills they need to succeed. This has been influenced by a range of factors, including the loss of experienced early years professionals from nurseries and childminding settings.
Case Study: Coventry
Coventry’s Early Years Team supports around 85 schools and over 300 early years providers, reaching approximately 4,500 children each year as they start Reception. Like many local authorities, Coventry faces school readiness challenges, in particular speech and language development, emotional regulation, toileting independence, oral health and parental engagement – all of which have been amplified by the long-lasting effects of COVID-19.
Case Study: Bexley
Bexley’s Early Years Service supports a diverse and busy sector, including 92 PVI group settings, 1 school-based preschool, 273 active Ofsted-registered childminders, 23 agency childminders, 40 school-based nurseries, and 37 Ofsted-registered out-of-school provisions. Local data shows that over a quarter of children — particularly boys and those eligible for FSM — require additional support to be fully prepared for the start of Reception. In response, the early years team has prioritised improving speech and language outcomes and helping families better understand how to prepare their children for Reception.
Case Study: Tower Hamlets
Tower Hamlets is a diverse borough with a significant proportion of families for whom English is an additional language, notably Bengali and increasingly Mandarin. To support children’s successful transition to school, the Early Help and Children and Families Service adopted the Starting Reception resource as a foundational element of its School Readiness Programme led and delivered by the Early Intervention Team.
Case Study: Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire Local Authority has taken a strategic, multi-agency approach to embedding the Starting Reception definition across the county. Their aim is to ensure that every family understands the key skills children need when beginning Reception year at school, and that this messaging reaches families well before their primary school place is confirmed.
Case Study: Brent
Brent is a large and highly diverse London borough with a significant population of families with young children. The Infant to School (I2S) Programme supports families across the borough from early infancy through to school entry, working in collaboration with Health Visitors, Community Nursery Nurses and early years settings.
Families in Brent face a range of school readiness challenges, particularly around speech, language and communication, social and emotional development, behaviour, routines and self-regulation. These challenges are often compounded by wider pressures such as housing instability, overcrowding, financial hardship, parental mental health needs and language barriers.
Through an individualised, family-centred approach, the I2S Programme focusses on collaborative goal setting, early intervention and coordinated multi-agency working. This approach helps build parental confidence, strengthens outcomes for children and supports families to prepare their children more effectively for the transition into education.
Multi-academy trusts
Case Study: Kemnal Multi Academy Trust
The Kemnal Academy Trust (TKAT) supports 45 schools across the UK, including 29 primary schools and 20 nurseries. Like many schools, TKAT has seen a decline in communication and language outcomes among its most vulnerable pupils, with a notable drop in speaking skills. The Trust has also found that parents are less likely to engage with school readiness discussions and sessions, especially face-to-face, and are less likely to value the importance of being in school and being ready for school.
Case Study: Oasis Multi Academy Trust
Oasis Multi Academy Trust, comprising 35 primary academies across England, is taking proactive steps to support school readiness by embedding Starting Reception into its early years practice. Recognising the importance of aligned expectations between parents and educators, the trust is using the definition to guide both internal staff development and external parent engagement.
Nurseries
Case Study: Ark Start
Ark Start is a group of five nurseries in London, supporting families from diverse backgrounds, 80% of whom only access funded hours. Many of these families are unfamiliar with school expectations, which can make transition to reception challenging.
