Book excerpt: The beginnings of all things are small, but the possibilities for our primary pupils are infinite. Many books explore the wonders of science and education research but few are rooted in the reality of the primary classroom, what it is really like to run a primary classroom, and to spend each day in the fascinating company of our youngest learners. Initium looks with care and specific attention at the needs of our youngest learners, the development of age and stage appropriate practice and pedagogy, alongside the joys and realities of working within the primary phase. Primary is a unique stage of a child's development and requires a specific and distinctive approach to how we structure teaching and learning. What works at age 16 or 14 won't necessarily work with a classroom of 6-year-olds. Informed by science and rooted in over 25 years of primary expertise, Initium is research-informed practice for the primary specialist.