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Potty training scheme to roll out to 20 more areas
The city-wide pilot sent guides and ran workshops for parents and staff, and 20 councils across England are now planning similar schemes.
Twenty local authorities across England are adopting a potty-training pilot pioneered by York Council, which distributed guidance to 1,700 households alongside primary school place allocation letters in April.
Financed by Kindred Squared, the York initiative led to a 43% drop in children arriving at 55 mainstream primary schools unable to use the toilet independently compared to last year.
Jo Mould, a teacher at Robert Wilkinson Primary Academy in York, said the reduction means staff spend less time changing children, freeing them for classroom instruction.
Paul Waugh, minister for early education, called the results "encouraging," noting that early support helps children develop the confidence and independence needed before starting school.
The Government aims to increase the proportion of pupils arriving "school ready" by 2028, positioning the York pilot as a blueprint for councils nationwide to improve educational outcomes.