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Around a quarter of children starting in reception in 2025 are not toilet trained, a survey of teachers has found, while warning that more children are struggling with basic life skills.
In an annual survey of primary school staff by early childhood charity Kindred Squared, teachers estimated that 26% of children in reception classes had regular toileting accidents this year, rising to more than a third (36%) in the North East.
Kindred Squared issues growing warnings Children arrive at the school gate “Basic life skills required to participate in the course were not available”.
Staff also reported that approximately 28% of children started school unable to eat independently and 25% experienced difficulties with basic life skills.
At the same time, the government is working to increase the proportion of children who arrive in reception “ready for school” – meaning they have reached certain developmental milestones such as basic language skills, being able to eat independently, use the toilet, get dressed, and being able to sit, play and listen.
However, Kindred’s survey of 1,000 key workers found they estimate more than a third (37%) of children start education before they are ready for school, up from 33% in 2024.
Teachers in the North East, West Midlands and North West reported significant declines in school readiness.
Staff estimate they spend 1.4 hours a day changing diapers or helping children who are not toilet trained, resulting in a total of 2.4 hours of instructional time being lost each day due to students’ lack of basic skills.
Felicity Gillespie, CEO of Kindred Squared, said: “The state of school readiness has reached a critical point, with 37% of children now arriving at the school gate without the basic life skills they need to participate in the curriculum.”
She added: “This is no longer just a classroom issue; it’s a systemic crisis, driven by stretched school resources, low expectations, rising costs of living and a lack of the right information and understanding for parents early on to truly support their children’s development.”
The government has set a target of 75% of children being school-ready by 2028. According to the latest figures from the Department for Education, 67.7% of children will be considered to have good levels of development by the end of the 2023/24 academic year.
Staff also reported that around 28 per cent of children were unable to use books correctly, for example by trying to swipe or click on them as if they were using a phone or tablet.
More than half of staff said too much screen time by children and parents was a key factor in children not being ready for school.
However, in a survey of 1,000 parents of four- and five-year-olds, 88% said their children were ready to start school this year, with more than a third (35%) saying their children were more prepared than most.
Nearly all parents (94%) said they would like to see national guidance to ensure their children are ready for school.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “The results of this survey reflect what we are hearing from our members – school leaders are reporting that more and more children are starting school lacking basic ‘school readiness’ skills, such as being toilet trained.
“Providing more support before children start school in the early years is vital – both for pupils and families. As this report points out, parents can be confused about where to start and what to prioritize. Early identification and intervention to support children with SEND can also make a big difference – rising levels of SEND will partly contribute to these figures rising.
“We welcome this government’s commitment to early years education and investment in family centers and funded childcare hours – these measures will make a real difference. However, after years of underinvestment in communities and health services under the previous government, this is just the beginning – more support is still urgently needed, especially as need levels rise.”
As part of its Opportunity Mission, the government has focused on investment in its early years.
It has allocated £12 million to establish Best Start family centers in 65 local areas to provide parenting support and youth services.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Children are not ready for school when they start reception and that is obviously a huge problem”.
He said expanding the rollout of home and childcare services was the right thing to do, but it was not a quick fix when local support services had been declining over the past 15 years.