Parents given potty steerage to cease academics losing hours toilet-training youngsters
Parents will have access to fresh guidance on potty training amid a quarter of kids turning up to school not toilet-trained – with teachers wasting hours of lesson time
Parents will have access to fresh guidance on potty training amid a quarter of kids turning up to school not toilet-trained.
Teachers are wasting hours every day helping kids with basic skills, which is pulling them away from lessons.
Launched today, a new help guide urges parents to encourage their child to read a toilet-training book when using a potty or toilet or to let them give their favourite doll or toy a ‘turn’ on it before sitting on it themselves.
It also encourages parents to give their child a diet which includes fibre, such as fruit, vegetables and brown bread, to help avoid constipation, as well as plenty of water, divided between six and eight drinks spread evenly through the day.
READ MORE: New guidance released on skills kids should have when starting Reception – see list
The guidance, developed by early years charity Kindred Squared, has been backed by the Departments for Education and Health & Social Care.
In the 1970s and 1980s, 83% of children were out of nappies by 18 months. But Kindred’s annual school readiness survey – released earlier this year – showed one in four children were not toilet-trained when they started Reception last year.
Polling of primary school staff suggests over two hours a day of teaching time is lost because teachers and assistants are helping children who lack age appropriate life skills.
Kindred said the right time to be coming out of nappies is 18-30months for children with no medical diagnoses such as bowel or bladder conditions.
Keir Starmer has set a target for 75% of five-year-olds to be school-ready when starting reception by 2028. Earlier this year, Kindred spearheaded efforts to draw up guidance for parents on how to get their kids ready to start school.
Guidance offered practical steps for parents to build skills into their child’s daily lives, including teaching them how to use cutlery, share toys, brush their teeth and hang their coat up.
Felicity Gillespie, Director, Kindred Squared, said: “Being toilet trained not only helps children feel confident and part of the group, but it also means teachers can spend more time teaching and supporting every child’s development.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “This government is determined to put the expert advice mums and dads need right at their fingertips, and this new guidance from early years experts will be a brilliant help in getting their children potty trained and ready for school.”
