Potty training scheme to roll out to 20 more areas
A successful pilot program in York that provided potty training support to parents has led to a 43% reduction in children starting school without toilet training. The UK government is now expanding this initiative to 20 additional local authorities.
Why it matters
It highlights a practical, low-cost public health intervention that improves school readiness and reduces pressure on early years education staff.
Image caption, Parents like Natalie (right) say it's important children are confident enough to use the loo on their own when they start school
The number of children who were toilet-trained before starting school this year has increased significantly in a city where parents were given potty training guides with their first school offers.
York was the subject of the city-wide pilot, which also put on workshops for parents and offered special training for early years staff.
Twenty local authorities across England are now signed up to launch similar schemes to tackle the number of pupils starting school without being fully toilet-trained.
The government said the pilot's results were "encouraging", and confirmed they were committed to 75% of pupils reaching a good level of development at the end of their first year in school by 2028.
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