A recent survey of primary school staff in England has revealed a worrying trend, with one in four children starting reception class in 2025 not being toilet trained. The survey, conducted by the early years charity Kindred Squared, also found that 28% of children were unable to eat and drink independently, and 25% were struggling with other basic life skills.
The findings suggest that an increasing number of children are arriving at the school gate without the basic skills needed to engage with the curriculum. Staff reported that 28% of pupils were not able to use books correctly, trying to wipe or tap the pages like a phone or tablet.
The survey of 1,000 primary staff found that they estimated more than one in three (37%) children were starting reception not “school ready” – up from 33% in 2024. The sharpest declines in school readiness were reported by teachers in the North-East, West Midlands and North-West.
Staff estimated they were spending 1.4 hours a day changing nappies or helping children who were not toilet trained, and that a total of 2.4 hours of teaching time was lost each day due to pupils lacking basic skills.
Felicity Gillespie, the chief executive of Kindred Squared, said: “The state of school readiness has reached a critical moment, with 37% of children now arriving at the school gate without the basic life skills needed to engage with the curriculum.”
The government has set a target for 75% of children to be “school ready” by 2028, but the latest Department for Education figures show that only 68.3% of children were judged to have a good level of development by the end of reception in 2024-25.
Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the school leaders’ union NAHT, said the findings reflect what their members are reporting – school leaders are seeing increasing numbers of children starting school without basic “school readiness” skills, like being toilet trained.
The government has been prioritising early years investment as part of its “opportunity mission”, including distributing £12m across 65 local areas to build Best Start family hubs offering parenting support and youth services. However, Pepe Di’Iasio, the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said these were not quick fixes after 15 years of decline in local support services.
A Department for Education spokesperson said the government has a clear mission to ensure tens of thousands more children start school ready to learn, and they are already taking action to make that a reality. They acknowledged there is further work to be done to tackle the school readiness challenge.
