One in four children start school in nappies

Those numbers do seem very high. I can certainly remember being at primary school and there was one boy in particular who regularly used to wet his pants. Needless to say, the other children were fairly cruel to him. I'm sure there could be many reasons behind the statistics, but from previous threads on similar subjects on here, I'm just bracing myself for the inevitable 'oh, my children were toiled trained by X age' and 'today's parents are just lazy' posts...

Three is very young. Many of the headlines suggest that they are talking about five year olds, as it's all about starting school, whereas three year olds are nursery age, and probably expected to have accidents.

I would think that the vast majority of children will be clean and dry at five, but also that many will have accidents at three. Remember that some three year olds are barely more than two.

Are they talking about reception age? It is in my experience that stat seems quite high for reception, but low for nursery.

Children are being toilet trained later now, possibly due to disposable nappies.

Our older two were in Terry nappies, there is far more incentive to toilet train!

Also sadly there is a generation of feckless parents who think it’s the role of the school to toilet train, instil manners, teach children how to use cutlery etc.

Like you Grammaretto I find this hard to believe.

The pre-school nursery where my GCs went, not so long ago, would accept children from two and a half but they had to be toilet trained. Of course, there was still the odd accident but something must have changed drastically if these figures are accurate.

Those numbers are extraordinarily high and I believe that they are “inflated” Daughter has been infant teacher for 5 years now in a large 4 form entrance school in a deprived area.

Although many in her reception classes had accidents, only two across the 5 years actually attended in nappies and one of those had additional needs.

In most of the nursery classes I have been in lately there were between 5 - 8 children with additional needs. Obviously this isnt every nursery class but it is absolutely not unusual.

Is this going to be another self congratulatory thread about potty training, or should inflammatory headlines be taken with a pinch of salt.

Perhaps we could have a source of the information in the opening post to see where the statistics are from?

Galaxy

Are they talking about reception age? It is in my experience that stat seems quite high for reception, but low for nursery.

It all seems rather muddled. I saw the BBC News this morning and the headline was about children starting school, with video of children in uniform in a playground. Then the presenter started talking about three year olds, which was always nursery age, and a very different (and broad) developmental stage - a child who has recently turned three is often quite different from when he or she is nearly four. Teachers changing nappies is different from nursery nurses doing so, but again, it was difficult to work out what exactly was being said.

I wonder if the conflated vocabulary around education is to blame for some confusion? School and nursery are different things, nursery nurses are not teachers and three year olds are not students . At one time it was immediately clear who was being referenced in discussions like this, but these days young people are students from 3-18+, and anyone working in an educational setting is a teacher. Now it seems that nursery is being called 'school'.

When mine were little, paid nursery staff (in nurseries) changed nappies, but playgroups (often staffed by volunteers with one paid staff member in charge) did not - possibly for safeguarding reasons. Children had occasional accidents at school, and were given dirty clothes in a bag and clean ones from a supply kept for the purpose. It was rare though, and usually meant a child was sickening for something. I don't remember either of mine doing so, and don't know who would have cleaned up children in the event of an accident. There weren't many TAs back then, so probably a teacher? Nobody went to school in nappies though, although provision must have been made for children with disabilities. Many would have gone to 'special schools' back then, I suppose.

Galaxy

In most of the nursery classes I have been in lately there were between 5 - 8 children with additional needs. Obviously this isnt every nursery class but it is absolutely not unusual.

I agree but this headline appears to be aimed at reception classes?

Maybe one of the problems is that some children are starting school when they have only just turned 3 years old. A child born in August hast to start school in september.
This is because there is only one in-take per year. It was not always like this. Children used to start school in the term in which they were to five years old. There is a big difference between a child who is nearly five and one who is only just four.

It is on the BBC news website.

bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cp3dykw576yo

Where are children starting school when they are 3? They only get a full-time place at nursery at 3 here.

Maybe one of the problems is that some children are starting school when they have only just turned 3 years old.
Really? Surely that is nursery or playgroup?

Children are being toilet trained later now, possibly due to disposable nappies.

Our older two were in Terry nappies, there is far more incentive to toilet train!

I’ve thought the same as you. Both mine hated the cold, wet, heavy nappy and couldn’t wait to be potty trained! They made it easy for me - I was very lucky! (Sorry if that sounds smug, it’s not intended that way!)

This is because there is only one in-take per year. It was not always like this. Children used to start school in the term in which they were to five years old. There is a big difference between a child who is nearly five and one who is only just four.

Yes, this too.

My granddaughter started school last September aged 4 and 1 week!

She was more than ready for school and no children started in her class wearing nappies.

I do think some headlines are inflammatory not supplying all the facts and details.

Thanks Indigo for the reference.
I couldn't find it.

I think it's less about congratulating ourselves for being perfect parents yeah right and more about condemning the current generation of feckless ne'er-do-wells. apart from our own

You are correct Doodledog
The terms of reference have changed.

Where I live children go into reception at an infant school in the September when they are rising five. Which, of course, means that children born in August have only just turned four.

It has been quite common for people to refer to pre-school nursery as school and nursery staff as teachers for a long time. Princess Diana was described as a teacher by some newspapers.

Are we talking about pre-school or infant school reception?
The BBC article does not make this clear.

My children were toilet trained as they learnt to walk I made sure because I knew the rules at the local school. Nursery started age 3 to ensure a place. I have often had new neighbours who moved in to our road ask about the school church doctors etc. I have listened to them complain they made enquires at the school and didn’t like the rules.
The other most talked about rule was being fined if the children were taken out of school for holidays. This was over thirty years ago and it did happen my children’s school was ahead of many at the time. I think a lot of parents don’t seem to appreciate their children their responsibility.

Sorry I meant when they are only just turned four.

I think the 'problem' is more about lazy journalism than lazy parenting.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/videos/c75w5dd63ddo

Doodledog totally

I’ve got four in nappies in pre school room at nursery. Yes they are starting school in nappies three if my children went in September in them. So it’s ok to change nappies in a nursery setting but not as a teacher?🤔