York's potty-training pilot cuts unready pupils by 42% as 20 councils prepare to adopt the scheme

From the Newshound archive · first published 5 October 2026 · last updated 6 October 2026.

A quarter of children starting reception in England in 2025 were not toilet-trained, costing teachers the equivalent of a full day's teaching time every week, according to charity Kindred Squared. York's city-wide pilot — which sent potty-training guides to 1,700 families alongside school offer letters — cut the number of unready pupils from 148 to 85 in a single year. Around 20 councils, including Suffolk, Hampshire and Rotherham, are now looking to adopt the same blueprint. The government has set a target under which 75% of pupils should achieve a good level of development before leaving reception by 2028.

One in four reception starters in 2025 arrived at school without being able to use the toilet independently, Kindred Squared's teacher survey found.

Gail Brown of Ebor Academy Trust, which ran six schools in the pilot, said the campaign was 'about supporting parents, not blaming parents.'

Early education minister Paul Waugh called the York results 'encouraging' and confirmed the government is committed to raising school readiness nationally.