The government’s agenda around early years is one aspect of its policy rollout that it has got right in the past 18 months.
As a CEO of a primary multi-academy trust, and before that working as a primary teacher and head, I know more than most that if we invest in and get the foundations of education right, it pays huge dividends both financially and in terms of life chances and opportunities further down the line.
But progress has come step by step, and there is still some way to go.
Early years focus
I fully supported the aim for 75 per cent of all children to achieve a good level of development (GLD) at the end of Reception (although we should always ask, “what about the other 25 per cent?”). But the real sticking point here is that the early years foundation stage profile only assesses children after they have already completed a whole year of school.
I was obviously really pleased, therefore, that last summer a new definition of “school readiness” was approved by the Department for Education (an initiative driven by the superb charity Kindred2). This definition came with support for parents and children to start their school journey as ready to learn as they could be, with non-judgmental guides that were really accessible for all.
But even then, there remained a key issue holding children back that wasn’t being addressed: toilet training.
Toilet training
I am privileged to lead a family of 25 primary schools across Yorkshire and the Humber. In September 2025, a total of 530 children joined our Reception classes. It may come as a surprise to know that 36 across all those schools were still in nappies.
That is the equivalent of a full Reception class of children needing to be changed during the course of the day.
This has an impact on all children. It’s tricky for those in nappies in terms of the loss of teaching time, confidence and dignity. It’s tricky for teachers - changing nappies is not their job, and it’s hugely pulled on resources in terms of staffing to ensure that safeguarding protocols are properly followed. And because of those resources being pulled out of the classroom, all children get less learning time.
New potty training guide
Finally, this is now being tackled, and it promises to be a hugely positive shift for schools. Kindred2 has launched a Potty Training guide, and it’s great to see that the Department for Health and Social Care, the DfE and the wider education sector have aligned on this single piece of advice.
The guide is a conversation starter for nurses, health visitors and childminders. It enables Reception teachers, when they meet new parents post April place allocation day, a chance to get the message across that the expectation is that all children with no medical diagnosis will be toilet trained by the time children start school in September.
The guide also includes ways to access additional help for parents and carers who feel stuck.
Collective effort
This, if used and supported well, has the potential to be a game-changer for early years teachers.
It places the emphasis away from school-based intervention and makes toilet training a national issue to tackle. It grounds the message in health as well as education. It offers help, not just a direction.
And I cannot underestimate the importance of this in ultimately achieving the goal of at least 75 per cent of children achieving GLD by the end of Reception.
So my call to the sector is to embrace this, adopt it, use it and tell everyone else about it. We have to grab chances to be part of work like this when the opportunity arises, and it is our responsibility as much as anyone else’s to make this a success. The children in our schools deserve it.
Gail Brown is CEO of Ebor Academy Trust
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