Better engagement from schools needed to maintain children’s development
As schools prepare to close for summer, National Day Nurseries Association (NDNA) reveals new survey findings highlighting the importance of partnerships with early years settings as more children reportedly arrive at school without key skills needed to thrive.
The survey results show that the vast majority of children leave their nursery setting with the skills they need for their next stage in life. However, only a small minority of nurseries report good links with all the schools their children progress to.
Children’s transition from nursery to reception is one of the most important stages of their lives, and stronger relationships between nurseries and schools are key.
Our research shows that children show good development skills
Our survey of nurseries found that children are often leaving settings with many practical and developmental skills they need for school. On average, nurseries reported that:
- 96% of children can put on their own coat and shoes
- 98% are toilet trained and do not need nappies
- 95% use fine motor skills effectively
- 95% can share and talk about books.
These findings show the strong work practitioners are already doing to prepare children for reception.
However, the survey also points to a clear gap in how well settings and schools work together during the transition process. Only 11% of nurseries said all schools in their area engage well with them, while 42% reported good engagement with only some schools or none at all. This inconsistency risks undermining children’s transition to school at a time when joined up support matters most.
Tim McLachlan, Chief Executive of NDNA said:
“It is clear from our research that the vast majority of children who attend nursery leave with the skills they need for school and beyond. We need to ensure that children don’t regress when they start school. We can all support this by making sure a good transition process is in place so that all children, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds, have access to high quality early education.
“With a lot more work needed from schools to ensure these effective transitions this has to be a focus of the DfE’s new early years partnerships project. Clearly something is happening between when children leave formal early education, like nurseries, and when teachers report issues with the life skills children have in school.
“These figures also underline how important it is to ensure children from all backgrounds have access to early education opportunities. With recent data showing lower uptake of the universal offer for three and four-year olds and historically lower uptake of the offer for two year olds from lower income families, we must all find a way to tackle this.
“This cannot just be a question framed in terms of whether children are ready for school, we must also focus on whether schools are ready for the children coming to them. Part if this work has to involve understanding the learning and development that has happened in their early years from those who have worked with them.”
Practical steps that can make a real difference include early communication between practitioners and reception teachers; transition visits; shared professional development and involving families in the process. When information is shared well and teams work together around each child’s individual needs, children are more likely to settle quickly, feel secure and continue building on what they’ve already learned.
Gail Murphy, Early Years Development Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead at NDNA, said:
“A positive transition into reception begins with strong relationships. When nurseries and schools communicate early, share information effectively and involve families throughout the process, children are more likely to feel confident, safe and ready to learn. We know nurseries are doing significant work to prepare children for school, but stronger and more consistent engagement from schools can help make sure every child benefits from a smooth and supportive start.”
This comes at a time when broader evidence points to growing concerns about “school readiness”. Research from Kindred Squared found that 37% of children starting reception in 2025 were not considered school ready by primary school staff, with teachers losing an average 2.4 hours of teaching time each day to catch up needs, including 1.4 hours spent supporting toileting.
It also found widening regional inequalities and increasing pressure on school staff. This underlines why stronger partnership working between nurseries, schools and families is more important than ever.
More recent research by the Institute for Government shows the gap is widening between boys from low-income backgrounds and their peers with more than three in five not “school ready” – that is, not reaching a good level of development by the end of their reception year. It’s vital that these children are fully supported in their first few years so they aren’t already behind by the time they start school.
NDNA is calling for stronger, more consistent collaboration between nurseries and schools so that every child can start reception with confidence. By building good relationships, sharing knowledge and putting children and families at the centre of transition planning, settings can work together to give children the best possible start to their school journey.
Around 250 nurseries across England responded to NDNA’s survey.
References:
- around 9 in 10 children aged 3 and 4 were registered for the universal entitlement. The number and percentage of children registered both fell to the lowest in the series (started in 2011), continuing the downward trend from earlier years.
https://www.tes.com/magazine/analysis/general/why-too-many-boys-are-not-school-ready?amp
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-education-partnerships-funding
Ofsted statistics published earlier this month:
First data release under the new Report Card system:
400 more PVI providers delivering a 3% increase in registered places
Ofsted provided an overview of how gradings are spread on non-domestic childcare settings. Percentage of settings reaching ‘expected’ standard or better:
- 93% inclusion
- 90% curriculum and teaching
- 91% achievement
- 94% behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
- 94% children’s welfare and wellbeing
- 89% leadership and governance
In June Ofsted published the same level data for schools:
- 89% inclusion
- 77% curriculum and teaching
- 70% achievement
- 85% attendance and behaviour
- 95% personal development and wellbeing
- 85% leadership and governance
- Where applicable 87% for early years
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