"Six in ten parents have admitted they don't think their children need to be potty-trained before starting school, a damning poll has revealed.
New government data suggests parents are failing to prepare their tots for pre-school.
Some 64 per cent of mothers and fathers think their children do not need to be able to focus on a task for ten minutes before joining an educational institution by age four.
While 70 per cent have put basic dining skills on the back burner as they say it's not important for their youngsters to know how to use a knife and fork, according to The Sun.
The Department for Education has launched a guidebook following concerns teachers have to fill the role of parents during school hours while also juggling classes.
Primary school teachers have previously complained of having to change the nappies of children as old as six, because they have not been toilet-trained at home."
So where has it all gone wrong? When I started school way back, not one child in my class of around 30 pupils was not potty-trained.
No one I knew left school 10 years later unable to read and write , and we didn't have realms of homework either, like lots of today's secondary schools insist on.
Latest reports are, from starting school, to leaving school, many children in the UK seem so less advanced than 50 or 60 years ago...why?
Digger said
Oct 15 1:54 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
So where has it all gone wrong? When I started school way back, not one child in my class of around 30 pupils was not potty-trained.
No one I knew left school 10 years later unable to read and write , and we didn't have realms of homework either, like lots of today's secondary schools insist on.
Latest reports are, from starting school, to leaving school, many children in the UK seem so less advanced than 50 or 60 years ago...why?
Bone idleness.
I started potty training my daughter from around 6 months old. My mum passed down advice from 3 generations that involved that training. I had her dry at night by ten months old and out of of nappies by 18 months. But it took a lot of dedication and routine.
Digger said
Oct 15 1:58 PM, 2025
As for table manners, that was drummed into me and my brothers from a very early age. I had to hold my knife and fork properly ( I had a spoon and shover when I was in my high chair) and had to keep my mouth closed when eating, not speak at table or interrupt my elders and ask before I could leave the table. We never ate anywhere but at the table. I wasn't quite so strict with my daughter but she had to hold her cutlery properly and not speak with her mouth full.
There's nothing worse than people with no table manners. And it should be started early with kids.
Anonymous said
Oct 15 2:45 PM, 2025
Digger wrote:
There's nothing worse than people with no table manners.
I can think of a few things.
Vam said
Oct 15 3:33 PM, 2025
🤦🏻♀️ … Unbelievable. Syl, you should have stopped after the words ‘don’t think’ in your thread title.
Because of course, overstressed, underpaid teachers who often oversee large class numbers, have nothing better to do than clean up after incontinent kids.
The ‘Majority of parents’ should be forced to take competency tests, before replicating themselves 🙄
Syl said
Oct 15 5:13 PM, 2025
I agree with all the comments.
If you teach babies and children from a very young age, not only do they pick things up quicker, it stays with them for life. Obviously it takes time and patience from the parent, sadly I think so many parents today prefer to stay glued to their phones than interact with heir kids.
Digger, your daughter was amazingly quick. I had my son dry day and night before his second birthday...but I do think in general little boys are not as quick as little girls.
Once manners are taught, they are not forgotten. I don't travel by bus much, but I have noticed the way so many parents (here and abroad) give their kids priority over a seat when adults are standing....that REALLY annoys me.
Anonymous said
Oct 15 6:48 PM, 2025
Digger wrote:
As for table manners, that was drummed into me and my brothers from a very early age. I had to hold my knife and fork properly ( I had a spoon and shover when I was in my high chair) and had to keep my mouth closed when eating, not speak at table or interrupt my elders and ask before I could leave the table. We never ate anywhere but at the table. I wasn't quite so strict with my daughter but she had to hold her cutlery properly and not speak with her mouth full.
There's nothing worse than people with no table manners. And it should be started early with kids.
I was brought up similarly.
One of my pet peeves is dirty eaters, turns my stomach. I used to avoid meals with my ex’s family as it was like being at a trough.
Syl said
Oct 16 12:27 AM, 2025
I don't mind elbows on tables, eating with just a fork doesn't bother me either, relaxing with family at mealtimes is more important.
What I can't stand are noisy eaters, mouth open eaters, and mobile phones at the dinner table.
Fluffy said
Oct 16 5:42 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
"Six in ten parents have admitted they don't think their children need to be potty-trained before starting school, a damning poll has revealed.
New government data suggests parents are failing to prepare their tots for pre-school.
Some 64 per cent of mothers and fathers think their children do not need to be able to focus on a task for ten minutes before joining an educational institution by age four.
While 70 per cent have put basic dining skills on the back burner as they say it's not important for their youngsters to know how to use a knife and fork, according to The Sun.
The Department for Education has launched a guidebook following concerns teachers have to fill the role of parents during school hours while also juggling classes.
Primary school teachers have previously complained of having to change the nappies of children as old as six, because they have not been toilet-trained at home."
That is REALLY worrying. I was definitely trained before attending pre school let alone primary school.
Primary school teachers having to change nappies of 6 year old children is totally wrong, it's not the teachers job but it's also a sign of neglect by the parents in question imo.You don't allow your child to need nappies at 6years old!
It's just one of the things the younger generation of parents don't seem capable of doing...or don't know how to do. Some 5 year old children now attend reception not being able to read very well or not at all. A significant proportion of parents aged thirty or under either don't want to equip their child ready for school and teach them the basics or they don't realise they have to.
I honestly think some younger single mothers who don't have much contact with family or friends realise they have to teach their children skills such as reading but when it comes to potty training I think some first time mothers don't know how to teach the child and feel embarrassed about it. They probably don't want to tell their doctor they are struggling. The worst possible scenario is that they don't care. Discipline has gone. There are lower standards of conduct accepted in.society now and this is one of the examples. It's so unfair on the child though, what if it makes them a target at school when it means so much to fit in? Mothers struggling need to admit they need assistance.
Fluffy said
Oct 16 5:49 PM, 2025
Anonymous wrote:
Digger wrote:
There's nothing worse than people with no table manners.
I can think of a few things.
Well, yes. I agree Anon.
But children deserve to.be looked after properly. If first time young mums are struggling they need to realise nurses will want to help them. Raising a child alone with no support from the father or family must be very difficult. I can't even.imagine it But if they love their child they will want to see them trained and fit in with their peers.
There will be a minority of lazy parents who simply don't care and don't bother potty training but that's neglect of the child and they don't deserve to have the child with them in that case.
Syl said
Oct 16 5:54 PM, 2025
Teachers are also now required to supervise young children as they brush their teeth....apparently there is a huge rise in tooth decay amongst youngsters, one of the causes is lack of tooth hygiene.
I wonder how many parents of 4 and 5-year-olds who go to school with unbrushed teeth and need teachers to change their nappies, are glued to social media instead of actually parenting, my guess is ... most.
Digger said
Oct 16 6:04 PM, 2025
Syl wrote:
Teachers are also now required to supervise young children as they brush their teeth....apparently there is a huge rise in tooth decay amongst youngsters, one of the causes is lack of tooth hygiene.
I wonder how many parents of 4 and 5-year-olds who go to school with unbrushed teeth and need teachers to change their nappies, are glued to social media instead of actually parenting, my guess is ... most.
Talking of which that story about the father who sat and watched porn while his two year daughter died of heatstroke locked in his car. He'd locked the kids in the car countless times despite his Missus telling him off. Why on earth she stayed with him is beyond me. I'd have booted him out of the house, divorced him and taken the kids, then that toddler might still be alive.
Anonymous said
Oct 16 10:56 PM, 2025
Digger wrote:
Syl wrote:
Teachers are also now required to supervise young children as they brush their teeth....apparently there is a huge rise in tooth decay amongst youngsters, one of the causes is lack of tooth hygiene.
I wonder how many parents of 4 and 5-year-olds who go to school with unbrushed teeth and need teachers to change their nappies, are glued to social media instead of actually parenting, my guess is ... most.
Talking of which that story about the father who sat and watched porn while his two year daughter died of heatstroke locked in his car. He'd locked the kids in the car countless times despite his Missus telling him off. Why on earth she stayed with him is beyond me. I'd have booted him out of the house, divorced him and taken the kids, then that toddler might still be alive.
Wasn’t the wife an (American) doctor/a medical professional of some sort?…her comforting him upon his detainment/arrest was disgusting I felt.
If it’s the idiot I’m thinking of he had a strop because he wanted to take a shower and the cops wouldn’t let him, totally blasé at the child’s death.
Digger said
Oct 17 7:33 PM, 2025
Anonymous wrote:
Digger wrote:
Syl wrote:
Teachers are also now required to supervise young children as they brush their teeth....apparently there is a huge rise in tooth decay amongst youngsters, one of the causes is lack of tooth hygiene.
I wonder how many parents of 4 and 5-year-olds who go to school with unbrushed teeth and need teachers to change their nappies, are glued to social media instead of actually parenting, my guess is ... most.
Talking of which that story about the father who sat and watched porn while his two year daughter died of heatstroke locked in his car. He'd locked the kids in the car countless times despite his Missus telling him off. Why on earth she stayed with him is beyond me. I'd have booted him out of the house, divorced him and taken the kids, then that toddler might still be alive.
Wasn’t the wife an (American) doctor/a medical professional of some sort?…her comforting him upon his detainment/arrest was disgusting I felt.
If it’s the idiot I’m thinking of he had a strop because he wanted to take a shower and the cops wouldn’t let him, totally blasé at the child’s death.
Yes, that's him. A great big narcissistic man child, now child murderer.
"Six in ten parents have admitted they don't think their children need to be potty-trained before starting school, a damning poll has revealed.
New government data suggests parents are failing to prepare their tots for pre-school.
Some 64 per cent of mothers and fathers think their children do not need to be able to focus on a task for ten minutes before joining an educational institution by age four.
While 70 per cent have put basic dining skills on the back burner as they say it's not important for their youngsters to know how to use a knife and fork, according to The Sun.
The Department for Education has launched a guidebook following concerns teachers have to fill the role of parents during school hours while also juggling classes.
Primary school teachers have previously complained of having to change the nappies of children as old as six, because they have not been toilet-trained at home."
Majority of parents 'DON'T think children need to be potty trained before starting school' - poll
So where has it all gone wrong?
When I started school way back, not one child in my class of around 30 pupils was not potty-trained.
No one I knew left school 10 years later unable to read and write , and we didn't have realms of homework either, like lots of today's secondary schools insist on.
Latest reports are, from starting school, to leaving school, many children in the UK seem so less advanced than 50 or 60 years ago...why?
Bone idleness.
I started potty training my daughter from around 6 months old. My mum passed down advice from 3 generations that involved that training. I had her dry at night by ten months old and out of of nappies by 18 months. But it took a lot of dedication and routine.
As for table manners, that was drummed into me and my brothers from a very early age. I had to hold my knife and fork properly ( I had a spoon and shover when I was in my high chair) and had to keep my mouth closed when eating, not speak at table or interrupt my elders and ask before I could leave the table. We never ate anywhere but at the table. I wasn't quite so strict with my daughter but she had to hold her cutlery properly and not speak with her mouth full.
There's nothing worse than people with no table manners. And it should be started early with kids.
I can think of a few things.
🤦🏻♀️ … Unbelievable. Syl, you should have stopped after the words ‘don’t think’ in your thread title.
Because of course, overstressed, underpaid teachers who often oversee large class numbers, have nothing better to do than clean up after incontinent kids.
The ‘Majority of parents’ should be forced to take competency tests, before replicating themselves 🙄
If you teach babies and children from a very young age, not only do they pick things up quicker, it stays with them for life. Obviously it takes time and patience from the parent, sadly I think so many parents today prefer to stay glued to their phones than interact with heir kids.
Digger, your daughter was amazingly quick. I had my son dry day and night before his second birthday...but I do think in general little boys are not as quick as little girls.
Once manners are taught, they are not forgotten. I don't travel by bus much, but I have noticed the way so many parents (here and abroad) give their kids priority over a seat when adults are standing....that REALLY annoys me.
I was brought up similarly.
One of my pet peeves is dirty eaters, turns my stomach. I used to avoid meals with my ex’s family as it was like being at a trough.
What I can't stand are noisy eaters, mouth open eaters, and mobile phones at the dinner table.
That is REALLY worrying. I was definitely trained before attending pre school let alone primary school.
Primary school teachers having to change nappies of 6 year old children is totally wrong, it's not the teachers job but it's also a sign of neglect by the parents in question imo.You don't allow your child to need nappies at 6years old!
It's just one of the things the younger generation of parents don't seem capable of doing...or don't know how to do. Some 5 year old children now attend reception not being able to read very well or not at all. A significant proportion of parents aged thirty or under either don't want to equip their child ready for school and teach them the basics or they don't realise they have to.
I honestly think some younger single mothers who don't have much contact with family or friends realise they have to teach their children skills such as reading but when it comes to potty training I think some first time mothers don't know how to teach the child and feel embarrassed about it. They probably don't want to tell their doctor they are struggling. The worst possible scenario is that they don't care. Discipline has gone. There are lower standards of conduct accepted in.society now and this is one of the examples. It's so unfair on the child though, what if it makes them a target at school when it means so much to fit in? Mothers struggling need to admit they need assistance.
Well, yes. I agree Anon.
But children deserve to.be looked after properly. If first time young mums are struggling they need to realise nurses will want to help them. Raising a child alone with no support from the father or family must be very difficult. I can't even.imagine it But if they love their child they will want to see them trained and fit in with their peers.
There will be a minority of lazy parents who simply don't care and don't bother potty training but that's neglect of the child and they don't deserve to have the child with them in that case.
I wonder how many parents of 4 and 5-year-olds who go to school with unbrushed teeth and need teachers to change their nappies, are glued to social media instead of actually parenting, my guess is ... most.
Talking of which that story about the father who sat and watched porn while his two year daughter died of heatstroke locked in his car. He'd locked the kids in the car countless times despite his Missus telling him off. Why on earth she stayed with him is beyond me. I'd have booted him out of the house, divorced him and taken the kids, then that toddler might still be alive.
Wasn’t the wife an (American) doctor/a medical professional of some sort?…her comforting him upon his detainment/arrest was disgusting I felt.
If it’s the idiot I’m thinking of he had a strop because he wanted to take a shower and the cops wouldn’t let him, totally blasé at the child’s death.
Yes, that's him. A great big narcissistic man child, now child murderer.