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In the news

Netmums: Is your child ‘school-ready?’ – 29 key skills your reception-age child should know

By Grace Essex | September 16, 2025

Netmums shares detail on the Starting Reception definition and website. Read the full article here.

Made for Mums: School readiness secrets – what experts say every child should know before starting reception

By Grace Essex | September 16, 2025

Kindred Squared Chief Executive, Felicity Gillespie, spoke with Made for Mums about the Starting Reception definition and website. Read the full article here.

TES: What if… we all agreed what children should learn before age 5?

By Grace Essex | September 16, 2025

As part of TES Magazine’s thought experiment series, Kindred Squared Chief Executive, Felicity Gillespie, argues that we need universal agreement on early development, from when to toilet train to ‘learning’ for babies and toddlers. Read the full article here.

BBC News: More school-starters missing key skills, teachers say

By Grace Essex | September 12, 2025

BBC News refers to Kindred Squared annual School Readiness survey results when reporting on a recent Teacher Tapp poll. Read the full article here.

TES: Many governors lack oversight of school-readiness

By Grace Essex | September 9, 2025

TES Magazine reports on Kindred Squared’s polling of school governors, where 39% of respondents were either unsure or did not know how many pupils were on track to reach a good level of development (GLD). Read the full article here.

NURSERY WORLD: Nursery World conference: Join policy makers and child experts to begin a new conversation about supporting children to start school

By Grace Essex | July 28, 2025

Nursery World’s next conference on 4 November in London, and Kindred Squared Chief Executive, Felicity Gillespie will be giving the keynote speech on working with parents on a shared understanding of ‘school readiness’. Read the full article here

LBC: Kindred Squared Director, Felicity Gillespie, speaks to Nick Ferrari about the Starting Reception website

By Grace Essex | April 17, 2025

Kindred Squared Director, Felicity Gillespie, speaks to Nick Ferrari about the Starting Reception website. Listen to the interview here [from 2:25:00] and the listener phone-in [from 2:38:00]

THE SPECTATOR: It’s not the government’s job to prepare kids for school

By Grace Essex | April 16, 2025

On Primary School offer day, Cristina Odone writes about whose responsibility it is to prepare children for Reception, quoting information from the Starting Reception website.# Read the full article here.

NURSERY MANAGEMENT TODAY: Government backs school readiness website

By Grace Essex | April 16, 2025

NMT shares a link to the Starting Reception website, reporting that organisations involved in the website include Kindred Squared, National Day Nurseries Association, the Early Years Alliance, LEYF Nurseries, Busy Bees, Ark Start and Pacey. NMT notes that the Department for Education is promoting the website. Read the full article here.

TES: Why school readiness is the most important equality issue in society

By Grace Essex | April 16, 2025

Kindred Squared Director, Felicity Gillespie, writes in TES magazine on school readiness is the most important equality issue in society, “because so many of the economic and social gaps in later life stem from these early years”. Read the full article here.