Still in nappies?

The Sunday Telegraph this week reported a growing problem in reception classes, of children who first arrive for school not having been fully potty trained. These are actually five years old or approaching that age.

The charity Education and Resources for Improving Childhood Continence (ERIC) is running at least one course each month to help school nurses cope with the number of children turning up to school wearing nappies, and there are discussions to extend this provision to teachers.

Most children have traditionally been potty trained by somewhere between their second and third birthdays, although there may be persistent problems where there are special medical conditions.

The reasons advanced for the growing trend are working parents who have insufficient time or energy to undertake the process. There are also some who decide to wait "until the child is ready".

The end result is that in the past week I have read and written about two different problems which are holding up education progress in the early years. Last week it was children arriving with no literary skills at all. This week arriving with inadequate potty training.

Both cases show parents who have not devoted enough time to their children, and both explain how the important basics in education are hampered.