Every child starting school in September in Bradford will be able to receive a playful guide to help foster a confident start to their schooling journey, thanks to the Bradford 50 Things To Do Before Your Five team and Bradford Children and Families Trust.
Bradford is leading the way in helping children start Reception with confidence through the launch of Ready, Steady… Reception, an interactive booklet, that will be rolled out before the summer holidays to 6,000 children to help support their transition into school.
Each booklet contains several fun activities for parents and their children to work through together, aligned to specific 50 Things To Do Before Your Five activities, such as playing dress-up, which through play helps children build important skills like dressing themselves independently.
According to recent data from Child of the North, one in three Bradford children are not school-ready. This was also identified through Kindred Squared’s School Readiness Survey, which highlighted that an average of 2.4 hours of teaching time is lost nationally due to ‘catch-up’ needs.
Tackling these issues, a collaboration of organisations, including BBC Parenting and the Early Years Alliance, developed a webpage and resources to support children transitioning into school: startingreception.co.uk. Ready, Steady… Reception features carefully selected activities that complement the guidance and support available through the website.
Chloe Storr, 50 Things To Do Before You’re Five Programme Manager, said: “Our 50 Things To Do Before You’re Five project is the perfect platform to help support the skills required for a confident start to school, but in a simple, fun and meaningful way that families and their children can enjoy together.”
“Throughout the summer holidays, children and their parents can work through the six activities at their own pace and will also be able to access advice around reducing screen time through our 50 Things To Do Less Screen Time, More Play Time campaign, alongside separate additional guidance around toilet training.”
“With 50 Things To Do Before You’re Five now available in 20 areas across the UK, several areas have already expressed interest in rolling out Ready, Steady… Reception more widely.”
Rebecca Oberg, Director of Institute for Early Years said: “Ready, Steady… Reception builds directly on our 50 Things To Do Before Your Five programme, extending its reach through a practical, playful booklet that families can use at home in the summer before school starts.” “This is an important strategic step in scaling our approach to address key national challenges. It strengthens continuity between home, schools, early years settings and family hubs, helping more children arrive at Reception confident, prepared, and ready to thrive. Thanks to additional funding from Bradford Children and Families Trust, the booklet will be distributed to Bradford district’s children through schools and the district’s Best Start Family Hubs. Susan Claydon, Assistant Director for Early Help and Transformation at Bradford Children and Families Trust, said: “We are really pleased to be supporting the rollout of such an amazing initiative to help build children’s independence skills as they prepare to start school. “We know there has been growing concern, not just across Bradford but nationally, around children not being ready to start school. The Ready, Steady… Reception booklet aligns with the support we provide to families, via our Best Start Family Hubs and our FYI website, helping families navigate the transition to school reception in an interactive, fun way.” |
Sian Hudson, Executive Headteacher at St Edmund’s Nursery School, said: “Starting school is a huge milestone for both children and their families, and confidence is such an important part of that transition. What’s wonderful about Ready, Steady… Reception is that it helps children build those important early skills through simple, playful activities that families can enjoy together at home.”
Schools across Bradford should register their interest in receiving the booklet here. Schools will also have access to guides and resources to support conversations with families.