“School readiness” is a concept on many minds as we move out of the pandemic, whether it be parents worried about whether their child will cope with school or politicians debating the need and scope for “catching up” in education. In Scotland, the national practice guidance on early years, Realising the Ambition, encourages a move away from thinking of the transition to school in terms of readiness. We will propose a way of understanding school readiness and its influences using actor network theory to explore what school readiness offers the education system, and what it demands in return. This makes the simple solutions, such as simply not talking about readiness, or raising the school starting age, more problematic and less attractive. We will then invite reflection on the question, “what does school readiness mean for me as a child, a parent, a practitioner or a researcher?” to highlight tensions between research and practice to indicate a way forward for both.
SPEAKERS: Dr Marion Burns and James McTaggart
