A concerning new survey has revealed that one in four children beginning their reception year are arriving at school without fundamental toilet training, with an identical proportion unable to eat independently. The annual poll, which gathered insights from 1,000 primary school teachers across the country, indicates a marked increase in pupils failing to master the essential skills required for the classroom environment.
Teachers Overwhelmed by Care Responsibilities
The findings show that educators are now dedicating an average of one and a half hours every single day to changing nappies or assisting children with toilet visits. This substantial time commitment equates to losing an entire school day each week to basic care duties rather than educational instruction.
Respondents reported that approximately 26 per cent of children in their reception classes this academic year are experiencing frequent toilet accidents, representing an increase from the 24 per cent recorded during the previous two years. The situation appears most severe in the North East of England, where a staggering 36 per cent of school starters arrive without proper toilet training.
Disruption to Learning and Classroom Progress
Teachers describe how these constant toileting interruptions create a ‘stop-start’ dynamic throughout the school day, with 70 per cent of staff confirming that this significantly impacts overall class progress and educational delivery.
One deputy headteacher shared with researchers: ‘It’s definitely getting worse. If you go back ten years you wouldn’t have had children coming into reception who needed toilet training and now it’s almost the expectation that schools will do it.’
A reception teacher added further context: ‘Parents don’t think it’s their job. They’re very happy to give that to someone else. You know, someone else will potty train my child.’
Broader School Readiness Concerns Extend Beyond Toileting
The report, compiled by early years charity Kindred Squared, arrives following government initiatives aimed at improving ‘school-ready’ statistics. School readiness encompasses achieving specific developmental milestones including basic language skills, independent eating and toileting, self-dressing capabilities, and the ability to sit, play, and listen appropriately.
However, the teacher survey indicates that 37 per cent of children are now starting reception without being school ready, a noticeable rise from 33 per cent in 2024. Staff also report that around 28 per cent of children begin school unable to eat and drink without assistance.
A particularly modern challenge highlighted is that the same proportion of children cannot use books correctly, with many attempting to swipe or tap pages as if they were interacting with a smartphone or tablet.
Parental Attitudes and Systemic Challenges
Another educator observed that some parents ‘decide’ their child has special educational needs because it ‘absolves them of any responsibility to do anything about it.’ Meanwhile, a teaching assistant explained that the entire first term at her school was effectively ‘written off’ due to staff having to prioritise toilet training and teaching other foundational skills.
Parallel research involving 1,000 parents found that 22 per cent did not believe a child needs to be toilet trained by the time they start reception. Over half of teaching staff identified excessive screentime for both children and parents as a key factor contributing to poor school readiness.
Charity Warns of Systemic Crisis
Felicity Gillespie, Chief Executive of Kindred Squared, stated: ‘The state of school readiness has reached a critical moment. This is no longer just a classroom issue; it is a systemic crisis fuelled by stretched school resources, low expectations, the rising cost of living, and by parents who lack the right information and understanding.’
Government Response and Future Action
A Department for Education spokesman responded: 'This Government has a clear mission to make sure tens of thousands more children start school ready to learn, and we are already taking action to make that a reality. We are seeing early signs of improvement, with more children reaching a good level of development by age five, but we know there is further to go. We inherited a system where disadvantage was allowed to deepen, and these findings underline the scale of the school readiness challenge we are determined to tackle, so every child gets the best possible start in life.'
The survey results paint a stark picture of the mounting pressures on early years education, highlighting a significant gap between policy ambitions and the practical realities facing teachers, parents, and children at the very start of their educational journeys.
