The study, based on the perceptions of Reception children, is believed to be the first of its kind to explicity ask pupils what they believe to be important skills for starting school.
Researchers from the Faculty of Education at the University of Cambridge asked 42 four and five-year-olds attending a school in a deprived area of North Dublin seven months into their Reception year what they thought a new school starter would need to know.
While many of the top 25 priorities listed by the children match those already regarded as important in preparing children for school, including skills in reading, writing and counting, the children identified skills that are not typically measured or targeted in school readiness programmes.
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