North East reception teachers 'feeling pressure' as toddlers aren't school ready
We're hearing children don't know how to use the toilet or how to use cutlery
A school leader in Teesside's highlighting the pressures reception teachers are facing as many children aren't "school ready".
A survey by charity Kindred Squared found on average they're losing the equivalent of one day a week of teaching time helping toddlers become toilet trained.
Debra Walker is the chief executive of the Iris Learning Trust which runs a school in Redcar and two schools in Sunderland and she said: "Because our children are not as ready as they used to be, the pressure on our reception teachers is immense. They obviously have to make sure children have a broad curriculum offer. But if our teachers are being directed away from that because we are dealing with the basics of communication, independence, eating with cutlery and toilet training, that's bound to cause some tension.
"If teachers, teaching assistants and the army of early years people we have are directing their time towards toilet training and cleaning, that's obviously going to have some pressure on everybody involved in early years.
"What happens in nursery is that we try to encourage families to get their children out of nappies and pull-ups. In the past, we would expect children to have the odd accident but generally to be able to go to the toilet or ask for the toilet.
"I think what's happened is there's been some slippage from what's expected in nursery. Nursery was an opportunity to develop toilet training, but that is actually shifting to reception class. I know we are seeing more and more children start reception here, at statutory school age, in pull-ups and way off being toilet trained. Some of them are also not confident or independent enough to ask for the toilet.
"It is about allowing children to develop independence and become the amazing learners that they are. But I think the prevalence of non-toilet-trained children, or children maybe still having dummies or bottles, has increased, and that's a real challenge for us in schools."
She's hoping councils in the North East will provide support for parents in the future and follow the successful pilot at the City of York Council.
School ready pilot
More parents across England are set to be given extra support to toilet train their children before they start primary school.
A pilot led by the City of York Council – which sent out leaflets about potty training to 1,700 families alongside their school place offer letters in April – could be replicated by dozens of councils in England.
Fewer children in York started reception without toilet training last month compared with last year’s cohort of school starters following the launch of the targeted campaign, project leaders have said.
A survey of teachers by charity Kindred Squared suggested around one in four children who started reception in 2025 were not toilet trained.
The Government is pushing to increase the proportion of children starting reception “school ready”.
The pilot scheme in York, funded by Kindred Squared, included parent workshops, teacher training sessions and leaflets provided to GP surgeries, and libraries to help encourage families to toilet train their four-year-olds.
Overall, 55 mainstream state primary schools in York were asked to compare the number of children who were not toilet trained when they started school in September 2025 with the number this September.
There has been a 42% decrease in the proportion of children starting school not toilet trained in York, the results from the pilot suggest.
Around 20 councils in England are now looking to use the same blueprint as York including Suffolk, North Lincolnshire, Hampshire, Rotherham, Halton, and the London Borough of Redbridge and Solihull.
Felicity Gillespie, chief executive of Kindred Squared, said: “We know from our annual school readiness surveys that, on average, teachers have been losing the equivalent of a day a week of teaching time helping children who are not able to go to the toilet themselves.
“We also know parents and carers have been calling for clear and concise advice, and this just shows that when the best resources are really targeted, everyone benefits.
“No wonder dozens of other councils are now showing interest in repeating York’s pioneering project around the country.”
Paul Waugh, minister for early education, said: “Toilet training can be one of the biggest milestones in a child’s early years, so it’s encouraging to see this pilot helping more children develop the confidence and independence they need before starting school.
“When children are supported to take these important steps early, it can make a real difference to how they settle in, make friends and start learning.”