A report by early years charity Kindred found that school staff are diverting 2.4 hours a day, on average, away from teaching and towards supporting children who are not school-ready. This has a knock-on effect on pupils, who lose learning time each day.

The report also found that only 48% of parents think it’s completely their responsibility to ensure their children are toilet trained, while only 3 in 4 (76%) selected toilet training as something a child should be able to do before starting Reception.

Toilet training can be more difficult now than in previous generations, due to many social and economic factors affecting families, and a lack of local continence services and advice to help people who are experiencing problems. Here at ERIC, The Children’s Bowel & Bladder Charity we are working to reverse the trend of later toilet training by offering non-judgmental, practical advice and a safe space for parents who may be facing external pressure and judgement.

ERIC runs a free helpline for families experiencing bladder and bowel issues. For the past few years, we have seen an increase in calls to the helpline, particularly from July onwards, from parents whose children are due to start school but aren’t ready.

Some are still in nappies or require a nappy to poo. Many discover, through speaking to an advisor, that there may be constipation which needs to be diagnosed and treated before they can work on toilet training in preparation for school.

We argue that the knock-on effects of the pandemic and cuts to essential children’s services in recent years have contributed to this issue and, if not addressed soon, it could have serious implications for children’s health and education.

For example, later toilet training can hide continence issues, such as constipation, which can have a serious impact on a child and their family’s lives – from pain and discomfort, to practical issues like missing out on socialising or even school days.

Tackling the problem

At ERIC, we have launched an intervention, ‘All Aboard the Toilet Train!’, that aims to help more children get ready to use the toilets independently at school. It’s fun with some lovely animations.

Parents and children are invited to ‘board the Toilet Train’ by signing up to our online support challenge that will help them prepare for school. They’ll receive information, advice and support via email over a 6-week period to support them in their journey.

We will also send digital packs to early years settings and primary schools across the country which contain helpful PDF leaflets, advice sheets, and a video they can share with families to help get children toilet ready for school.

Judgment-free support

Siân Wicks, CEO of ERIC, said: “The longer-term impact of the pandemic and cuts in recent years to many services have resulted in a lot more pressure on families and the professionals who support them, and this is affecting outcomes for children.

“There are many contributing factors that can impact a child’s ability to be toilet trained before school, and there is often a great deal of stigma and shame associated with it. As a charity, our aim is to offer a judgement-free source of advice and information to ensure that as many children as possible receive the support they need to be toilet trained for school; working in partnership with families, early years providers, schools and our health care colleagues to ensure the best possible outcomes for children.

“As well as offering training and support to education and early years professionals, and our helpline which is a lifeline for so many families who are struggling, we’re launching this intervention to try to remove some of the stigma associated with toilet training at this stage, and offer encouragement and support.

“We hope that as many families as possible will hop aboard the Toilet Train this summer and we’ll be here to support them every step of the way.”