7 signs your child is 'school ready'.

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With ‘school readiness’ playing such an important role in whether your child will be ready or not to pass their 4+ Assessments and be able to demonstrate to the assessors that they are ‘school ready’, it is imperative that you know what ‘school readiness looks like’.

This what PHE (Public Health England) say a ‘school ready’ child is able to do.

  • Able to recognise numbers and quantities (to 20)

  • Participate in singing

  • Ability to collaborate with others (adults and children)

  • Ability to communicate their needs

  • Have a good vocabulary

  • Ability to socialise and make friends

  • Have strong gross motor control and engage in a range of physical activities

If your child is able to do all 7 of the above, you are golden and there is a very high chance that your child will pass their 4+ Assessments. If your child is not able to do all of these, it is up to you to ensure that they can.

Otherwise there is absolutely no point sending them into any 4+ Assessment!

Let me give you an example of my son who is currently nearly 2 and a half. So he would be sitting his 4+ for 2026 entry (what the majority of my students for the 4+ are preparing for). Do exactly the same with your child and go all in to ensure that they are able to do all of these with confidence.

  • Able to recognise numbers and quantities (to 20)

    Not currently able to do this.

    My son is not yet able to count to 10 - he misses out numbers or muddles them up. He is not able to recognise numbers 1-5 yet. He is able to count objects to 5.

    So this would be a clear focus for my son.

  • Participate in singing

    He is amazing at singing and sings along to all popular songs and nursery rhymes with confidence and clarity. He would do very well if they had singing in his Assessments.

  • Ability to collaborate with others (adults and children)

    This is hit and miss. When he feels like it, he collaborates well with adults (although at nursery, they tell me he can do this very well). He struggles to share with other children currently.

    So this would be another clear focus for my son.

  • Ability to communicate their needs

    Very strong at this.

  • Have a good vocabulary

    He has exceptional vocabulary.

  • Ability to socialise and make friends

    He loves to socialise and make new friends. He can be shy at first however, which could be a potential problem in his 4+.

  • Have strong gross motor control and engage in a range of physical activities

    He has amazing gross motor control and loves physical activities - his favourite currently being kicking his precious football around the park!

Is your child school ready?

Would they even be able to pass their 4+ Assessments?

Let me know! Email your answers to office@creativemindstutors.com