Posted on 02/01/2026 1:15:10 PM PST by Twotone
Almost a third of children who started reception last year were not able to use books correctly, sometimes even trying to swipe or tap them like a smartphone, a survey has found.
Around one in four were not toilet trained, amid warnings more children are struggling with basic life skills.
In an annual survey of primary school staff by early years charity Kindred Squared, teachers estimated 26% of the children in their reception class this year were having frequent toilet mishaps, rising to more than one in three (36%) in the North East.
Staff also report around 28% of children started school unable to eat and drink independently.
Over half of staff said children's and parents' excessive screentime was a key factor in children not being ready for school.
It comes amid a government push to increase the proportion of children arriving in reception "school ready", with developmental milestones including basic language skills, being able to eat, go to the toilet, and dress themselves independently.
However, Kindred's survey of 1,000 primary staff found they estimated over one in three (37%) children are starting reception without being school ready, a jump from 33% in 2024.
(Excerpt) Read more at news.sky.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
That's incredibly sad.
well.. they are starting them about 3 years younger, so what do they expect?
This doesn’t surprise me; when I was 5, I usually rode the bus to school, but I was perfectly capable of walking or riding my bike to school which was 3 miles away, even when it was nasty out. And I certainly knew how to dress and feed myself since both of my parents worked. This was of course approximately 60 years ago and we lived on the outskirts of town on acreage, if it had been allowed, I probably would have ridden my horse barebacked to school, but the other kids probably would have harassed her. So things were different then.
Im not surprised. Who owns books anymore? Kids read books off tablets or phones by swiping the pages. The toilet training and independent eating problems are concerning. How young are these kids?
I’m going to say they had ONE kid try to swipe it like a phone.
With a fair chunk not even being potty trained (and what age are we talking about here? 3? 5? 6?) it’s no wonder they don’t know what a book is, let alone know how to read (which I notice is absent from this article)
Sky News - UK...
So we know the origin of most of those children. And sadly, we’ll know the results - in that they will transform the formerly civilized UK - not the reverse.
So how is the smartphone used in toilet training? You can’t get pennies, anymore.
I dont buy it...
Swiping or taping a piece of paper?? Really??
The author appears retarded or extremely desperate...
1990s joke.
“I gave a kid a book as a present and he said “Thanks. Where do I plug it in?”
According to some websites, Reception is for 4-year-olds. So, it’s preschool. It’s not unusual for a 4-year-old to have an accident.
I didn’t get a phone until I was 13! Still got it — in a box somewhere with a bunch of others.
Some SF novel (sorry, can’t remember which) referred to middle age and older people as “obsos” for obsolete.
Gays refer to heterosexuals as “the breeders.”
Now literate people like us will be “the readers.”
Somebody on TV who makes $1.2 million a year will probably use my original line soon. Oh, well.
According to a UK report, "Academic year 2024/25 Schools, pupils and their characteristics," 38.4 % of the children are from "a minority ethnic background".
Around one in four were not toilet trained
Not surprising.
Former girlfriend is a high school English teacher.
Has often said the quality of her students have been on a steady decline.
Last few years more than half of her junior and senior students are functional illiterate.
The curriculum that they are required to teach is a hollowed out shell of what was taught only a few years ago. The only administration goal is to graduate them.
Just depressing.
Nearly a third of kids can't use books when starting school - and try to chalk them like writing slates...
Nearly a third of kids can't use writing slates when starting school - and try to unroll them like scrolls...
Nearly a third of kids can't use scrolls when starting school - and try to carve them like tablets
Hahahaha.
(Changing a few details to protect the guilty)
Whe I lived in Germany, (let’s say near Dresden in a place that wasn’t blowed up) I took the boss on a tour of a very famous grounds. It cost a few bucks and they gave us a paper pamphlet with a map of the grounds. Both my older boss (by 12 years) and another engineer kept swiping the pamphlet too.
I hate to idmit, I have done it too while looking at paper maps.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.