Help for parents to potty train their little ones in time for first day of reception under council scheme
The Government is pushing to increase the proportion of children starting reception “school ready”
A council scheme to help parents toilet train their children before their first day in primary school could be coming to South Yorkshire.
Children in York arrived in reception this year with more confidence to use a toilet over a potty compared with little ones in 2025.
It came after a pilot scheme at the City of York Council, which sent out leaflets about potty training to 1,700 families alongside their school place offer letters in April.
The plan was so successful it could now be replicated by dozens of councils in England, including in South Yorkshire.
A survey of teachers by charity Kindred Squared suggested around one in four children who started reception in 2025 were not toilet trained.
It comes as 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 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 in autumn 2026.
There has been a 42 per cent 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.
Gail Brown, chief executive of Ebor Academy Trust, which had six schools included in the York pilot, said: “I think that there’s been a very clear expectation across the whole city that children who start school, where possible, will start toilet trained.
”It was very much about supporting parents, not blaming parents.”
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.”