Courses & Resources

“We’ve Taught Reception. Let Us Teach You.”

Illustration showing a smartphone displaying an educational app called 'Be-School-Ready' focused on social skills lessons for kids. The phone is set against a background of stacked books with colorful abstract shapes and a gold star decoration.

Get inside the classroom mindset - before your child walks through the door.

Created by the teachers and parents who founded Start-School-Ready, we offer honest advice, playful strategies, and real insight into what schools expect - no pressure, no jargon, just practical support with a touch of humour.

Relatable story series for parents and children
Insights from real teachers — not checklists
Practical tips and resources you can use at home

Skip to Parents' Resources

Skip to Educators' Resources

Log in. Breathe out. You’ve found your people.

Create your free profile to access real-life resources, parent-friendly courses, and practical tips that actually make a difference.

No pressure, no perfection - just tools, stories, and support you can use whenever you’ve got five minutes (or a bathroom break with the door closed).

Join us and make school-readiness feel a whole lot lighter.

Parents Courses & Resources

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A girl with long hair sitting on a bench, looking through a large telescope.

Looking for Another Checklist?

Download this resource to see a different kind of checklist — one written from a child’s point of view. It might surprise you. It might reassure you. And it’ll definitely give you a fresh perspective.

Download the free resource here.

Sketch of a diverse group of seven people standing together; members are of different ages and genders, some are holding hands or with arms around each other, all without facial features.

8 Steps to Sanity:

Start-School-Ready The Family Way

Your guide to smooth mornings and school-ready kids.

School readiness is more than a checklist. It’s about preparing your child — and yourself — for the routines, relationships, and real-life chaos of school. This guide helps you build that mindset, so you’re ready for whatever comes next.

Start the course here

Sneak Peak into

Rolo’s-Not-Ready (Story & guide)

Not Your Average School Readiness Guide...

Forget tick-box checklists and fluffy advice - this is what really happens in Reception.

Told straight from the classroom floor, Rolo’s story is the first in a series of real-life school tales - packed with practical tips you can use right away.

View a Rolo’s-Not-Ready story here

A black and white sketch of a young boy with curly hair, wearing a striped long-sleeve shirt, shorts, and lace-up shoes. The boy has a sad or thoughtful expression, with his arms crossed and a small tail visible behind him.

A sketch of a young girl with a ponytail sitting in a large armchair with an unhappy or annoyed expression.

Sneak Peak into

Get- Bria-Ready (Stories for Kids)

Meet Bria - a bold, curious kid whose everyday slip-ups turn into wild creature transformations. Designed to be read to your preschooler, these bite-sized stories use humour and imagination to sneak in school readiness values and sanity-saving habits for calmer, smoother days at home.

View a Get-Bria-Ready story here

Goodbye with Confidence: The Guide to Peaceful Drop-Offs

Drop-offs can be tough. One hug turns into ten, your child’s clinging, and you’re walking away feeling awful. Sound familiar?

This guide gives you practical ways to ease the goodbye - for your child and for you. There’s no one-size-fits-all. Some children need quick, confident exits. Others need a gentle, emotional routine. You’ll find both here.

Download the Free Guide Here

mum and child talking about trusting teachers to improve school relationships

Trust in Your Teachers: Why Strong Relationships Matter

This guide offers simple ways to talk about school and teachers at home, even when things haven’t gone perfectly. Because how we respond shapes how our children feel.

You’ll find real-life examples, helpful alternatives to common phrases, and guidance that works for all kinds of families - whether you like to talk things through or just want a few words that land right.

Download the Free Guide Here

Educators Courses & Resources

Don’t forget to create an account first to get access to all the resources. It stops the robots taking over.

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A hand-drawn illustration of a woman with glasses, smiling, standing by an open door, with her right hand holding the door handle. She has shoulder-length hair, a pink top, and teal pants.

Home Visits With Purpose

This short, practical guide will help Reception teams approach visits with confidence and purpose, so you can build meaningful connections, gather useful insight, and lay the groundwork for a smoother transition.

Let’s make every home visit count.

Download the free guide for Staff here

School-Ready Squad: A Quick Course for Early Years Teams

Seven strategies to reduce the madness - and increase the readiness.

This mini-course helps your team get children truly ready for school - without panic or pressure. With smart questions, playful strategies, and everyday tweaks, it builds confidence, clarity, and care across your Early Years setting. School readiness isn’t about rushing kids; it’s about growing strong foundations, together.

Start the course here

Child doodle of a superhero with a red cape, wearing green boots, shorts, and a white shirt with teal accents, flying with a joyful expression.

Take a sneak peak into:

Ready-Or-Not

Reception Stories for Educators

Hilarious and real, these Reception stories reveal what truly shapes a child’s school start - and it’s not just counting or name writing. For early years staff, it’s a peek at the everyday dramas and habits that really matter when getting kids school-ready.

View a Ready-Or-Not Story here

Need some previews first?

Rolo's-Not-Ready

Story (Preview)
It was playtime and the cloak area was chaos.
Some children were in fierce battle with their zips, tugging and grunting with twisted faces.

A few were near tears, defeated by sleeves turned inside out or shoes on the wrong feet.

Others had cracked it and were racing outside, already halfway up the climbing frame.
And then there was Rolo.
He stood like royalty waiting for a butler…

Take me to: Rolo's Story
Get-Bria-Ready

The Story (Preview)
When Big Sister called,
“We’re getting ready to leave! Have your breakfast!”
Bria made a toy picnic.
She poured pretend tea.
She gave out pretend biscuits…

Take me to: Bria's Story
Looking For Another Checklist?

“Get Me Into School” Checklist
Rolo’s Super-Important (and Sometimes Silly) School-Ready Checklist
We can tell when someone’s face says “NO.”
If they look like thunder, I don’t crash my toy plane into them again.
We can say sorry when we make a mistake.
Turns out that pouring sand on heads is not the right thing to do.
We don’t laugh when someone’s sad or cross.
Unless they’ve just sat in jelly. Then maybe quiet giggling.

Take me to: The Checklist
8 Steps to Sanity: Be-School-Ready the Family Way

How being School Ready means a smoother family life

Tip 3. Holidays feel more like holidays.
Packing? Queues? A new place to sleep? The guide teaches flexibility, patience, and turn-taking—skills that make airports, hotels, and restaurant waits a breeze (well, breezier).

Take me to: 8 Step to Sanity
School-Ready Squad: A Course for Early Years Teams

Are our instructions clear… or just noise with a smile?

“Let’s all get ready!” sounds nice - but if no one moves, it wasn’t an instruction. Instructions should land, not float into the toddler abyss.
What can we do?
* Say it, show it, check it - words, gestures, eye contact.
* One job at a time - “Get your shoes” not “Get your shoes, wash your hands, pack your bag, and call your mum.”
* Avoid question traps - “Shall we tidy up now?” = no, we shall not…

Take me to: School-Ready Squad
Ready for Home Visits: A Guide for Early Years Staff

Questions Worth Asking
You don’t need a clipboard of scripted questions - but a few well-chosen prompts can go a long way. Here are some suggestions that gently uncover school-readiness clues, along with why they matter:
1. “What kind of daily routine does your child follow?”
Why it matters: Routine = predictability. Children with routines cope better with the structured rhythm of the school day. You’ll know if transitions (e.g., lunch, tidy-up, home-time) are likely to be a breeze or a battle…

Take me to: Home Visits
Ready-Or-Not Series

The Story (preview)
Houdini Mode
Vanished at the sound of ‘tidy up’.
It’s 11:55, the music starts, and the staff member sings, “It’s tidy-up tiiiime!”
Most children start doing that classic, slightly chaotic scoop-and-sort. But not Ravi.
Ravi? Gone.
Not to be seen near a toy, a shelf, or even a mildly upright object…

Take me to Ready-Or-Not story