Building school readiness through personal, social and emotional development

The Department for Education’s (DfE) guidance Getting children ready for reception (2026) makes clear that school readiness is built through emotional well-being, strong relationships and partnership with families, not early formal learning alone.

This reflects the findings of the 2025 School Readiness Survey from Kindred Squared, which shows that 37% of children are starting reception without key foundations, particularly in emotional regulation, communication, independence and social skills.

Why Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED) matters for readiness

DfE guidance highlights that children settle best when they:

can manage big feelings
feel a sense of belonging
understand routines
have secure relationships with adults and peers

Our Early Years Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED) programme directly supports these national priorities. By focusing on emotional well-being, social skills, and resilience, the programme provides practical tools and resources to help children develop the foundational skills they need to thrive in school and beyond, especially when delivered through high-quality stories, small‑group work and practical emotional‑literacy strategies.

Practitioners report children referencing stories in play, improved emotional understanding and stronger engagement from families.

“Families noticed children talking more openly about emotions and social experiences, showing growing confidence and independence ahead of school transition.” Early Years Lead - Lincolnshire

“Supporting children to understand and talk about their emotions has enabled them to reason, make decisions, and regulate their behaviour - key foundations for being ready to learn in school.” Pre School Room Leader - Manchester

To build on this work, we are also partnering with Nottingham Trent University to independently evaluate the programme’s impact on school readiness across 10 early years settings later this year.

At a time when schools are facing increasing readiness and wellbeing needs, PSED is a vital foundation for a confident start to reception.

Find out more