As my regular readers will know I used to be a Deputy Head teacher and I also taught Reception Class children starting school.
So I was surprised to read about the rising number of children still in nappies when they start primary school.
Staff say they are increasingly forced to disrupt classes to change pupils or clear up ‘accidents’ because parents believe toilet training is a school’s job !
Er ……..”NO!” it’s the parents job !
Of course children need help with doing up their coat buttons & putting on their wellies but by 5 I expected the children to be able to go to the loo by themselves and of course children have the odd accident but I can’t believe kids are starting school in nappies !
Teachers also report that children are generally less independent, needing help with putting on coats and changing for PE. Some claim parents are too busy to teach their children basic life skills.
Almost two-thirds of 850 primary school staff polled said they had seen an increase over the past five years in the number of pupils wetting or soiling themselves.
The figure rose to 71 per cent among teachers working with three to five-year-olds, and some schools have been forced to put on parent workshops to help with toilet training.
The findings do not refer to youngsters with special needs or health problems.
Surely this is a basic life skill that children need to learn at home.
Don’t even get me started on how to hold a knife and fork as I was in a lovely school in Caterham the other day running my Confidence Classes for Kids Workshop and I popped into the dining hall and was appalled to see kids not using their knives and forks properly and it wasn’t just a few – LOADS of them had not been taught this basic skill either !
What are your thoughts?
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