About this course

Answer families’ readiness questions with evidence

If families ask you whether their child is ready for school, this session is for you. Angie Freeman takes you through what Australian research says about school readiness.

You’ll leave with the evidence to back your play-based practice all the way to the classroom door.

‘It is clear that age and readiness are not the same thing.’

Dockett and Perry, 2002

Australia’s own measure, at the start of school

  • Physical health and wellbeing
  • Social competence
  • Emotional maturity
  • Language and cognitive skills (school-based)
  • Communication skills and general knowledge

The five domains of the Australian Early Development Census. One is labelled school-based.

Watch Angie’s one-hour session at your own pace. Angie Freeman ran it live on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Enrol to watch the recording, then complete the reflection activity for your certificate of completion.

Who this course is for

Educators and leaders guiding the move to school

Whether you’re with children every day or shaping practice across a whole service.

Educators and teachers

Evidence-based language for conversations with families about readiness.

Leaders and directors

A shared language for your team, and a session each team member can complete.

In this course

Back your play-based practice with evidence

You’ll explore how to

 

answer ‘Is my child ready?’ with Australian evidence behind you

 

plan transition experiences that build skills across the whole year before school

 

review how your program builds early literacy and numeracy through play

 

reflect on your own transition practice through the Phoenix Cups®

Why this course

Confidence for your next conversation about readiness

📚

Evidence you can point to

Explain your approach to families, new team members, and your director, using Australia’s own national data.

🤝

One language across your team

Speak the same language about readiness as your team, your leaders, and your families.

🌱

Strategies for tomorrow

Try ideas in your setting the next day, then reflect on what changed.

Course curriculum

    1. Welcome

    2. How to use this platform

      FREE PREVIEW

    3. Student walk through video

    4. Agreement

    5. About your facilitator - Angie Freeman

      FREE PREVIEW

    1. Ready in Every Sense

    1. Keep in Touch with the Phoenix Team

    2. Other Professional and Personal Development Opportunities

    3. Need More Cups In Your Life?

About this course

  • $48.00
  • 1 hour of video content
Course content

Transition to school, in one hour with Angie

You get the recording of Angie’s live webinar of 4 November 2026. It covers the research, the reframe, and the practical strategies, as the educators who joined her live heard them.

We’ll explore together
You’ll walk away with
1

Transition as a life skill

Why transition is an ongoing life skill children keep building, well beyond the first day of school.

You’ll walk away with

Confidence to talk with families about readiness, with your play-based philosophy intact

2

What Australia measures

What the Australian Early Development Census and its Multiple Strength Indicator measure as children start school.

You’ll walk away with

Evidence from Australia’s own national measure to back your practice

3

Literacy and numeracy through play

How literacy and numeracy grow in the early years through curiosity, talk, and play.

You’ll walk away with

36+ practical strategies you can try in your setting straight away

4

The Phoenix Cups at the school gate

Each of the five Cups, and what each looks like for a child moving towards school.

You’ll walk away with

A completed reflection activity that connects the session to your own practice

Watch the recording, then complete the reflection activity for your certificate of completion.

The thinking behind this course

National evidence, needs, and the Phoenix Cups

You’ll see what Australia measures at the start of school, and what children need to feel ready.

The Australian Early Development Census

Australian Early Development Census, 2025

Five domains of development, plus a Multiple Strength Indicator that shows what is going well for children as they start full-time school. Only one domain, language and cognitive skills, is labelled school-based.

Self-Determination Theory

Ryan and Deci, 2000

Links intrinsic motivation to the meeting of basic needs, and needs being met to wellbeing. It is why the session starts from what each child needs.

The Phoenix Cups framework

Phoenix and Phoenix, 2019

An analogy for five universal needs: Safety, Connection, Freedom, Mastery, and Fun. It gives you a shared language for what each child needs through transition.

Australian Early Development Census. (2025, July 17). About the AEDC domains. Australian Government Department of Education. https://www.aedc.gov.au/what-is-the-aedc/about-the-aedc-domains

Phoenix, S., & Phoenix, C. (2019). The Phoenix Cups: A Cup filling story. Phoenix Support Publishing.

Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

Social proof: reviews

5 star rating

My cups are full and I’m ready for school

Jackie Willingham

Fantastic and extremely practical and easy to implement into every day practice.

Fantastic and extremely practical and easy to implement into every day practice.

Read Less

Facilitator

Facilitator, Phoenix Support for Educators Angie Freeman

Angie Freeman has spent more than fifteen years across leadership in education and care, primary classrooms, and national facilitation roles. She brings the research, the regulatory knowledge, and a strong belief in equity into every session.
Quality Areas 1 and 6

NQS alignment

Adding this course to your professional learning records or your Quality Improvement Plan? You can map it to four NQS Elements across Quality Areas 1 and 6. If you’re a registered teacher, you can also map it to three Focus Areas of the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers. Eligible Queensland kindergarten services can map it to three Kindy Uplift priority areas.

Element 1.1.1Approved learning framework

Curriculum decision-making contributes to each child’s learning and development outcomes in relation to their identity, connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as learners and effectiveness as communicators.

Element 1.2.1Intentional teaching

Educators are deliberate, purposeful, and thoughtful in their decisions and actions.

Element 6.1.2Parent views are respected

The expertise, culture, values and beliefs of families are respected and families share in decision-making about their child’s learning and wellbeing.

Element 6.2.1Transitions

Continuity of learning and transitions for each child are supported by sharing information and clarifying responsibilities.

Focus Area 1.1Physical, social and intellectual development and characteristics of students
Focus Area 3.7Engage parents/carers in the educative process
Focus Area 6.2Engage in professional learning and improve practice

Read the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers on the AITSL site

Priority area 2Social and emotional learning

Social learning involves the development of children’s communication skills, social skills, social regulation skills and awareness of others. Emotional learning is focused on identifying and regulating emotions and understanding the emotions of others.

How this course connects

Uses the Phoenix Cups to plan for what each child needs to feel safe, connected, and capable as they move to school.

Priority area 5Language and literacy

How children use words, gestures, sounds and symbols in order to express their thoughts and communicate effectively, both receptively and expressively.

How this course connects

Reviews how your program builds early literacy through talk and play, with practical strategies to try straight away.

Priority area 6Mathematics and numeracy

The development of understandings about numbers, quantity, concepts of time, length, distance, capacity and area in everyday play.

How this course connects

Reviews how your program builds early numeracy through everyday play, with practical strategies to try straight away.

In 2026, Kindy Uplift is available to Queensland kindergarten services that obtained Kindergarten Program Provider approval before 30 September 2025 and take part in Free Kindy. The department keeps no approved or preferred supplier list.

Read about Kindy Uplift on the Queensland Government site

NQS Element wording from the Guide to the National Quality Framework (ACECQA, 2026). Focus Area codes and titles from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers (Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership, 2011). Kindy Uplift priority areas from the Queensland Government’s Kindy Uplift page, last updated 6 May 2026.

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2026). Guide to the National Quality Framework. ACECQA. https://www.acecqa.gov.au/nqf/about/guide

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership. (2011). Australian professional standards for teachers. AITSL. https://www.aitsl.edu.au/resources/australian-professional-standards-for-teachers

Before you enrol

Frequently asked questions

If children in your service start school next year, yes. You’ll leave able to explain your play-based approach to families, with Australian evidence behind you.

Angie Freeman ran it live on Wednesday 4 November 2026. Enrol, and the one-hour recording and the reflection activity are here in the course for you to work through at your own pace.

Yes. Live ticket holders are added to this course, so the recording and the reflection activity are here for you.

60 days from the day you enrol.

Yes. A certificate of completion is issued through Thinkific when you finish the recording and the reflection activity.

Yes. One licence covers one learner, so each educator’s progress and certificate are their own. For team bookings, email [email protected] or call 1300 361 243.

Possibly, if your service is eligible. In 2026, Kindy Uplift is open to Queensland kindergarten services with Kindergarten Program Provider approval before 30 September 2025 that take part in Free Kindy. This course connects to three priority areas: social and emotional learning (2), language and literacy (5), and mathematics and numeracy (6). The department keeps no approved or preferred supplier list.