Do teachers who are parents have different perceptions about what is important in children's transition to school than those who are not?

This paper investigates the potential influence of parenthood for teachers, particularly in relation to their expectations and experiences of children starting school. As part of the Starting School Research Project, the responses of teachers who are, and who are not parents, are compared. Indications from the analysis of questionnaire responses and a small number of follow-up interviews, indicate that this little-researched aspect of teachers' experience has a dramatic impact on expectations, beliefs and practices.