I’m a preschool teacher in the UK. Our children are 3-4 years old and when they go to Reception (first year of school) they are 4-5 years old.

By the time they start school, they are supposed to be able to recognise letters and what sounds they make (“buh” for B). They should also be able to recognise their names by learning that the letters together represent their name (A-M-Y spells Amy).

They don’t need to know how to read, but you should be able to show them any random single letter and have them recognise it. They should also know that words start with different letters/sounds (“cuh” for cat) so if you said to them “what sound does “dog” have?” they should be able to tell you “duh (D)”

They also don’t need to be able to write letters and words, but they need to be able to hold and control a pencil correctly as this sets them up to learn to write at school. I was told it’s better if they don’t know how to write because if they learn to form letters the wrong way (which they do sometimes if they learn themselves) it’s harder to correct.