26% of Children Are Starting School in England Not Toilet Trained

There’s been quite a lot of attention this week on how many children are starting school in England without basic life skills, especially toilet training.

According to the latest School Readiness Survey by Kindred Squared, primary school staff report that they spend an average of 1.4 hours every school day helping children use the toilet, change nappies, or assist with toileting needs, roughly the equivalent of an entire school day each week taken up with this alone.  

Teachers also say that around 26% of pupils starting Reception in 2025 weren’t toilet trained, and in some areas that rises to closer to one in three children who aren’t ready when they start school. This has a real impact on classroom routines, teaching time, and school staff workload.

Why This Is Happening

One of the biggest reasons more children are starting school without being toilet trained is the advice parents have been given over the last decade.

Many families are told to:

• Wait longer before starting potty training

• Look for very specific “readiness signs”

• Avoid starting “too early” in case it causes stress or failure

As a result, lots of parents don’t even consider potty training until well after age two - sometimes closer to three.

By that point, nappies have been the norm for years. Children are comfortable in them, less aware of their body cues, and often much more resistant to change. What was once a gradual learning process becomes something that feels bigger, harder, and more emotionally charged.

This advice is usually well meaning, but it’s left many parents feeling unsure about when to start and worried about doing it “wrong.” In the meantime, the age at which children begin potty training has slowly crept later and we’re now seeing the knock-on effect in schools.

Starting earlier doesn’t mean rushing or forcing. It means introducing toileting gently, at an age when children are often more adaptable and open to learning new routines.

What the Data Is Really Showing

Parents aren’t failing. They’re doing exactly what they’ve been advised to do.

For years, the dominant message has been: “Just wait - they’ll do it when they’re ready.”

But the data now suggests that for many children, this wait and see approach isn’t leading to smoother potty training or easier school transitions.

The uncomfortable truth is that waiting longer doesn’t automatically make potty training easier. It doesn’t guarantee:

• fewer accidents

• less resistance

• finishing potty training quickly

• or a calmer experience for the child

In many cases, it actually creates the opposite.

What does seem to help is starting earlier and more gradually. That means introducing toileting:

• before resistance becomes a strong factor

• before nappies are deeply ingrained as the default

• before there’s pressure to “be ready” for school

Early doesn’t mean you need to rush or force potty training into 3 days.

Early means starting with preparation, giving children time to build awareness, confidence, and familiarity long before independence is expected.

If You’re Thinking About Potty Training (But Not Sure Where to Start)

If your child hasn’t started potty training yet or you’re feeling uncertain about timing or how to approach it, the best way to start is with gentle preparation and clarity.

I created a free guide, “5 Things to Do Before Starting Potty Training,” exactly for parents in this stage. It walks you through simple, practical steps that build confidence, awareness and readiness before nappies come off, setting your child up to start potty training feeling capable and confident.