In the UK 1 in 4 children are starting school in nappies: How the landscape has changed

Some children are losing up to a third of their learning time on any given day due to teachers needing to step away from teaching to support children who are not school ready, and a large portion of this time is spent supporting toileting, a new report from UK charity Kindred has found.

One in four children who commence school in the UK do so without being ‘toilet trained’ (able to use the toilet independently and manage all the steps involved in doing so safely and hygienically) and this is leading to a number of challenges for their teachers, and for the other children for whom attention is divided. 

In response to the concerns raised in the Kindred report Bristol charity ERIC – the children’s bladder and bowel organisation – has now set up an “emergency intervention” campaign for those starting school in September (the start of the school year in the UK.) 

While the issue had been growing for some time, ERIC CEO Juliette Rayner said, “this year seems to be particularly bad.” 

“A child in a nappy has a disadvantage from day one,” she shared with the BBC. 

“We do know there are some children who can’t be toilet trained for medical reasons or if they’ve got additional needs, so it’s not about stigmatising those children,” she emphasised, “but for the majority of children, they need to be able to get on with learning and just enjoying school.” 

For many of the UK’s children who are commencing school in 2024, they were born during or near the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, meaning that many aspects of their early years have been spent in isolation, with a reduced focus on their social development. 

Early years consultant Beth Osborne from Bristol City Council agreed that COVID-19 compounded the issues schools and early learning settings are facing. 

“We’ve seen, over the years, COVID-19 having an impact on children and potty training, and more children starting reception in nappies,” she shared with the BBC.

“It’s really important that children and families are given support to make this happen a little bit earlier so that when they start school they’re ready for their learning, so that they can make friends and they can engage and develop to the next stages.”

ERIC’s campaign All Aboard the Toilet Train aims to support more children to use the toilet independently at school, and supports parents through the process, offering them the opportunity to sign up to the charity’s online challenge which will help them prepare for school. 

Parents who accessed the campaign were sent  information, advice and support throughout the summer ahead of children starting school. 

All Aboard the Toilet Train can be found here. To access the BBC coverage of this story please see here.