Does being ‘school ready’ mean writing your name, counting to 20 or knowing your alphabet?

Or are we focusing on the wrong things?

In today's episode, I’m joined by Gemma Kirby, an experienced early years educator, consultant and writer with expertise spanning early years practice, leadership, higher education, curriculum development, mental health and wellbeing.

Gemma is Early Years Education Content Lead for nurseries and childminders at Twinkl Educational Publishing and Director of Little Learners Early Years.

Together, we explore what children actually need during their earliest years and why we may need to rethink what we mean by ‘school readiness’.

💡 In this episode, we discuss:

✨ What really gives children the best possible start in life
✨ Why feeling safe, valued and understood needs to come before academic learning
✨ What ‘school readiness’ should actually mean
✨ Why writing their name or counting to 20 isn't the priority before Reception
✨ Independence, communication, confidence and emotional wellbeing
✨ Why four-year-olds are still incredibly young
✨ Supporting neurodivergent children without expecting every child to reach milestones in the same way
✨ Why behaviour is a form of communication
✨ Following children's interests and recognising that learning looks different for every child
✨ How play, movement and everyday experiences build important skills
✨ Why young children's mental health and wellbeing matters
✨ Attachment, responsive caregiving and nurturing relationships
✨ The stress young children can experience during separation and transitions
✨ The pressures facing early years practitioners, settings and childminders
✨ Why early years education is about far more than ‘childcare’

❤️ Why this matters

There can be enormous pressure on parents to make sure their child is ‘ready’ for school.

But Gemma reminds us that children don't need to arrive in Reception already knowing everything they're going there to learn.

Talking together, playing, climbing, exploring, building relationships, learning to communicate their needs and gradually developing independence are all part of learning too.

What parents and practitioners do every day - those conversations, relationships, interactions and ordinary experiences - can make an enormous difference.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

👉 Subscribe to RECAP The Podcast so you don't miss an episode.

🔗 Connect & follow

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Gemma Kirby
Twinkl: Primary Resources - KS2, KS1, Early Years (EYFS) KS3, KS4, Twinkl💬 Join the conversation

What does ‘school ready’ mean to you? Have you ever felt pressure for your child to reach certain milestones before starting school?

🔍 Keywords:

school readiness, starting school, starting Reception, preparing for Reception, early years education, EYFS, child development, early childhood, children’s mental health, children’s wellbeing, emotional development, PSED, learning through play, early years learning, child-led learning, attachment, communication and language, independence, SEND, neurodivergent children, behaviour as communication, early years practitioners, nursery, childminders, Gemma Kirby, RECAP The Podcast

🔖 Hashtags:

#schoolreadiness #earlyyears #eyfs #startingSchool #childdevelopment #childrenswellbeing #childrensmentalhealth #learningthroughplay #send #neurodiversity #earlychildhood #parentinguk #earlyyearseducation #educationpodcast #recapthepodcast

Series 7, Episode 3

What can children really gain from performing arts?

Dance, drama and singing might be seen as hobbies or extracurricular activities, but the skills children develop through creative experiences can reach far beyond the stage.

In today's episode, I’m joined by Diane Neave, co-founder of Rascals, an award-winning family-run performing arts school that has been inspiring children through dance, drama and singing for almost 30 years.

This is also a particularly special conversation for me, as Diane was one of my own dance lecturers when I studied performing arts more than 20 years ago! Coming back together all these years later to talk about children, education, creativity and confidence felt like a real full-circle moment.

💡 In this episode, we discuss:

✨ Why performing arts is about far more than learning to dance, sing or act

✨ Building children’s confidence, communication and self-belief

✨ Giving quieter children the time and space to find their voice

✨ Why confidence shouldn’t be rushed or forced

✨ Creativity, imagination and the importance of opportunities without a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer

✨ Supporting autistic children, children with ADHD and those with other SEND needs

✨ Adapting activities to the individual child rather than expecting every child to respond in the same way

✨ Performance anxiety and why taking part in a show should always be a choice

✨ Helping children experience success outside traditional academic measures

✨ How parents can encourage storytelling, movement and imaginative play at home

❤️ Why this matters

Not every child finds their confidence in the same place.

For some, it might not come from getting the highest mark or putting their hand up in class. It might come from saying their name in a group for the first time, joining in with a dance, sharing an idea or eventually standing on a stage.

Diane shares how she has seen children go from being unable to say their own name in class to performing on stage and why those seemingly tiny steps can represent enormous achievements.

Performing arts can give children opportunities to move, imagine, communicate, create and express themselves without everything having a right or wrong answer.

🎧 Listen now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube and all major podcast platforms.

👉 Subscribe to RECAP The Podcast so you don’t miss an episode!

🔗 Connect & follow

RECAP

Instagram: @recap.ltd

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Diane Neave & Rascals

Website: https://www.rascals-uk.com/

Instagram: @rascals_theatre_school

Email: info@rascals-uk.com

You can also find Rascals on Facebook, and use the locations page on their website to find classes near you.

💬 Join the conversation

What activities have helped your child grow in confidence? And do you think children have enough opportunities for creativity and performing arts?

🔍 Keywords:

performing arts for children, benefits of performing arts, children’s confidence, building confidence in children, creative learning, creativity in childhood, dance for children, drama for children, singing for children, performing arts education, children’s wellbeing, SEND inclusion, neurodivergent children, autism and performing arts, ADHD and performing arts, inclusive activities for children, performance anxiety, shy children, imaginative play, self-esteem in children, extracurricular activities, Rascals, Diane Neave, parenting podcast UK, education podcast UK, RECAP The Podcast

🔖 Hashtags:

#performingarts #childrensconfidence #creativelearning #childrenswellbeing #send #neurodiversity #inclusiveeducation #creativity #imaginativeplay #selfesteem #parentinguk #educationuk #parentingpodcast #educationpodcast #recapthepodcast

Series 7, Episode 2

What happens when a child appears to be doing well at school - achieving academically, following expectations and seemingly coping - but underneath, they are struggling?And what happens *after* an autism or ADHD diagnosis, when families are left wondering: “What do we do now?”In this episode of RECAP The Podcast, I’m joined by Rhiann Marchant, qualified teacher, highly specialised SENCO and Founder and CEO of Sensational Minds, to explore neurodevelopmental assessment, autism, ADHD, masking, SEND support and why diagnosis should be about far more than meeting a set of clinical criteria.💡 In this episode, we discuss:

✨ What a neurodevelopmental assessment actually involves ✨ The importance of developmental history and gathering information from different sources ✨ What happens when childhood records or family history aren't available ✨ What happens when someone goes through assessment but doesn't receive a diagnosis ✨ The misconception that paying privately guarantees a diagnosis ✨ Why autism doesn't always look stereotypical ✨ Masking, internalising and why children can present very differently at school and at home ✨ Why some neurodivergent children can be missed in busy classrooms ✨ Behaviour as communication and why dysregulation can sometimes be mistaken for defiance ✨ Why SEND support shouldn't simply be a “bolt-on” to education ✨ The importance of post-diagnostic support for children, adults and their families ❤️ Why this mattersA child can be achieving academically and still be struggling.They can sit quietly in a classroom, complete their work, get good grades and appear to be “doing fine” while using enormous amounts of energy to manage sensory differences, social expectations, emotional regulation, communication or masking.Whether you're a parent navigating an autism or ADHD assessment, an educator supporting neurodivergent learners, an adult considering assessment yourself, or a professional working within SEND, this episode is packed with insight, reassurance and practical discussion.🎧 Listen now — available on:Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube All major podcast platforms👉 Subscribe to RECAP The Podcast so you never miss an episode.🔗 Connect & followFollow RECAP for evidence-informed, accessible content for families and professionals:Instagram: @recap.ltd Website: https://www.recapinfo.co.uk/ Newsletter: https://mailchi.mp/recapinfo/newsletter**Find out more about Rhiann Marchant and Sensational Minds:**Website: https://www.sensationalminds.co.uk/ Email: hello@sensationalminds.co.uk / bookings@sensationalminds.co.uk💬 Join the conversation👉 Have you ever been told that a child is “doing fine” because they're achieving academically? 👉 What support do you think should be available after an autism or ADHD diagnosis? Share your experiences in the comments - we'd love to hear from you.🔍 Keywords:autism assessment UK, ADHD assessment UK, neurodevelopmental assessment, autism diagnosis, ADHD diagnosis, late autism diagnosis, late ADHD diagnosis, autism in girls, ADHD in girls, autistic masking, ADHD masking, masking at school, high achieving autistic child, high achieving ADHD child, signs of autism in children, signs of ADHD in children, SEND support, SENCO, neurodivergent children, neurodiversity in schools, neuroinclusive education, post diagnostic autism support, post diagnostic ADHD support, private autism assessment UK, private ADHD assessment UK, autism assessment process, RECAP The Podcast🔖 Hashtags:#autism #adhd #neurodiversity #autismassessment #adhdassessment #autismdiagnosis #adhddiagnosis #send #sendeducation #autisticmasking #adhdmasking #neurodivergent #neuroinclusive #sensoryprocessing #senco #inclusiveeducation #parentingpodcast #educationpodcast #recapthepodcastSeries 7 EP1