Starting School: The Psychology of School Readiness, Play, and Diversity with Claire Hughes

In this episode of Psych Crunch, Dr John Sutton chats with Professor Claire Hughes about the transition to school. They explore what it means to be school-ready beyond academics, the importance of social and emotional skills, and how time and cultural context shape the school experience. Hughes discusses how parents often underestimate playground happiness and how schools can foster emotional literacy and resilience. The conversation also compares school transitions across cultures, highlights the impact of events like the COVID-19 pandemic on communication with families, and ends with practical tips for parents and communities to support children through this big moment.

Note: Discussion emphasizes friendships, play, diversity, and parent-teacher collaboration as central to early success in school.

Episode overview and guest

In this Psych Crunch episode from the British Psychological Society’s Research Digest, Dr John Sutton interviews Professor Claire Hughes, Deputy Director of the Centre for Family Research at the University of Cambridge. The core focus is the transition to school, with Hughes arguing that being school-ready rests as much on social and emotional skills as on phonics or numeracy. The episode foregrounds the idea that early success in school is closely tied to friendships and the capacity to form and maintain social ties in the playground. Hughes also notes that parents often underestimate their child’s happiness in the playground while overestimating how much children enjoy school tasks, signaling a need for a more balanced view of school readiness.

"from a child's point of view, what really makes the difference between whether or not they succeed at school is often about friendships" - Claire Hughes

What makes a child school-ready

The discussion shifts to a broader understanding of readiness. Hughes argues that the crucial determinants of school success are social and emotional competencies that help children make and keep friends, navigate peer groups, and engage positively with teachers. She stresses that these skills are interlinked with academic learning and can enhance reading comprehension and narrative understanding when children are able to mentalise, infer others' intentions, and engage in cooperative play. The host and guest challenge the notion that readiness is purely academic, emphasizing the real-world benefits of social-emotional skills in school and beyond.

"from a child's point of view, what really makes the difference between whether or not they succeed at school is often about friendships" - Claire Hughes

Time, place, and cross-cultural perspectives

The episode then situates school transitions in time and place. Hughes reflects on how the UK system creates pinch points by starting formal reading and writing earlier than some other countries, and she discusses cross-cultural contrasts with Hong Kong and Scandinavia. For example, in Hong Kong, children begin school earlier but experience far fewer hours of structured learning at age five, which can influence how focused lessons feel. In contrast, Scandinavian countries emphasize play and development before formal reading, reducing comparable pinch points. Hughes also discusses the pandemic’s influence on communication with parents, noting that tools like digital platforms can demystify daily learning and improve collaboration, while raising concerns about language and social skill gaps that may persist post-pandemic.

"communication, and I think that it's now much more normal to have devices like tapestry and things like that so that parents can see little video clips of things they've done in the day" - Claire Hughes

Diversity, inclusion and emotional literacy in the classroom

The discussion then turns to diversity in the classroom and the evolving understanding of neurodiversity. Hughes argues that the concept of neurotypical is a binary that is unhelpful for understanding individual differences. She suggests viewing diversity as a spectrum that benefits all learners, including deafness and other differences that create common barriers to participation in school. The chapter on diversity in the classroom emphasizes the social model of disability and highlights evidence that ethnic diversity in classrooms can correlate with broader social-cognitive gains, such as theory of mind, through increased opportunities for peer interaction. The conversation also touches on the role of parents and communities in supporting tolerant and inclusive environments, pointing to the need for compassion, patience, and collaboration among families and teachers.

"the term neurotypical is a bit empty" - Claire Hughes

Practical takeaways for parents

In closing, Hughes offers concise guidance for families navigating starting school: cultivate empathy by seeing the world from both your child and the teacher’s perspectives, build relationships with teachers gradually, and allow the process to unfold over time. She emphasizes the importance of protecting space for exploration outside school and maintaining a dialogue with educators to support children through the transition. The host and Hughes remind listeners that the school journey is a shared contract among families, schools, and communities, and that kindness and patience can ease the pathway into formal education.

"Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know, that's just allowing these things to kind of develop organically" - Claire Hughes