{"id":3706,"date":"2026-10-04T21:11:03","date_gmt":"2026-10-04T21:11:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/learnersfrombirth.co.uk\/?page_id=3706"},"modified":"2026-10-05T13:57:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-05T13:57:40","slug":"york-pilot","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/learnersfrombirth.co.uk\/pa_pk\/potty-training\/early-years-toolkit\/york-pilot\/","title":{"rendered":"Potty Training Guide – York Pilot"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\t\t\tThe York Potty Training Pilot: \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tA Partnership Approach to School Readiness\n\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t

Number of children starting school not toilet trained reduced by almost half in less than a year\u00a0<\/b>Pioneering pilot scheme to have children toilet trained before starting school showing significant results<\/b>Dozens of councils looking at launching similar schemes<\/b><\/p>\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t

A groundbreaking Toilet Training Pilot Scheme which targeted families with extra support to toilet train their children before they started Reception has shown significant results.\u00a0Nationally, Kindred Squared Annual School Readiness Surveys <\/a>\u00a0reveal one in four children starting primary school not<\/i> toilet trained, but an innovative and collaborative pilot scheme has shown such an improvement, in the numbers of children starting school toilet trained, that more councils around the country are now looking at rolling out similar schemes.The major campaign, funded by Kindred Squared, was launched in April, led by the City of York Council, joining forces with GPs, pharmacies, schools, nurseries, libraries and charities.The scheme provided special offer drop-in sessions for parents, online information and handouts, and extra staff training.\u00a0Approximately 1,700 families living in the council’s catchment area were sent hard copies of \u0628\u0627\u0644\u0627\u06ba \u0646\u0648\u06ba \u067e\u0648\u0679\u06cc \u06a9\u0631\u0646\u0627 \u0633\u06a9\u06be\u0627\u0624\u0646 \u0628\u0627\u0631\u06d2 \u0631\u06c1\u0646\u0645\u0627\u0626\u06cc <\/a>and a \u0627\u0633\u0679\u0627\u0631\u0679\u0646\u06af \u0631\u06cc\u0633\u06cc\u067e\u0634\u0646<\/a> guide alongside their school place offer letters on Primary National Offer Day, 16 April 2026.\u00a0The concentrated effort was designed to reduce the number of children starting school not toilet trained.The comprehensive support for both parents and childcare providers included:Major Community Campaign:<\/b> Marketing materials, including posters and postcards, were distributed to 56 pharmacies, 11 GP surgeries, and 6 community hubs <\/b>across the City of York to ensure the message reaches every corner of the community.Parent Workshops: <\/b>A series of drop-in sessions<\/a> has been held across York, funded by Kindred Squared<\/a> and City of York Council, providing a space for parents to receive guidance and support.Practitioner Training:<\/b> From April, monthly online training sessions were made available for teachers, nursery staff, and childminders. This training, developed by the health visiting team in York and consultant Jill Webb of Families First<\/a>, focused on using the guide as a tool in supportive conversations with families.\u0648\u0633\u0627\u0626\u0644<\/b> such as reward charts, flow charts for parents, and online advertising have been specially developed for this pilot. Schools and nurseries in York were given packs of resources free of charge through a new ordering service.Significant Improvement<\/b>The success of the pilot has now been evaluated. Project leaders have compared data from September 2025 with the September 2026 intake to measure the reduction in children starting school in nappies.\u00a0York toilet training project results<\/b>The results show that there has been a 42% decrease in the proportion of children starting school not toilet trained in the City of York.Not toilet trained in 2025:<\/b> 148 out of a cohort of 1364\u00a0Not toilet trained in 2026:<\/b> 85 out of a cohort of 1374Improvement:<\/b> 42%<\/b>More councils planning to copy York blueprint<\/b>The success seen in York has inspired a long list of local authorities to use the same blueprint. Around 20 councils are now looking at running similar schemes, including: North Lincolnshire, Rotherham, Hampshire, Suffolk, Halton, London Borough of Redbridge, Cheshire West and Chester and Solihull.Felicity Gillespie, Chief Executive, Kindred Squared,<\/b>\u00a0 <\/b>said: <\/b>“These impressive results are making such a huge difference. We know from our annual school readiness surveys that, on average, teachers have been losing the equivalent of a day a week of teaching time helping children who are not able to go to the toilet themselves. We also know parents and carers have been calling for clear and concise advice, and this just shows that when the best resources are really targeted, everyone benefits. No wonder dozens of other councils are now showing interest in repeating York’s pioneering project around the country.”\u00a0DfE Minister for Early Education, Paul Waugh, said:<\/b> “Toilet training can be one of the biggest milestones in a child’s early years, so it’s encouraging to see this pilot helping more children develop the confidence and independence they need before starting school.”When children are supported to take these important steps early, it can make a real difference to how they settle in, make friends and start learning. It’s great to see the positive impact this support is having for children, parents and teachers.Cllr Bob Webb, City of York Council’s Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education, said:<\/b> “The results show the significant impact the campaign has had in York. But behind each data set are real success stories: a toilet-trained child who feels confident amongst their classmates;\u00a0 pupils who can get the best learning experiences from their school day; and teaching staff who can focus on teaching.”I’d like to thank parents and carers across the city who have supported the campaign, as well as schools and childcare and health professionals who have helped families at every step of the way. This really has been a citywide effort, and I’m delighted that we’ve been able to work with Kindred Squared to make a real difference to children in York.”Gail Brown, CEO, Ebor Academy Trust, said:<\/b> “We really are seeing the difference in the classroom, with all our reception children and dedicated staff able to spend far more time on the reception curriculum, providing the very best learning environment for our youngest children to flourish in. The new, improved ways of working across all our schools in our city have been brilliant and ensured families have consistent messaging and information to support their children to make the best start to school possible.”Notes to Editors<\/b><\/p>