SIX in ten parents do not believe their children need to be toilet-trained before starting school.
Government polling seen by The Sun reveals a crisis in pre-school readiness.
Some 64 per cent of parents think their youngsters do not need to be able to focus on a task for ten minutes before starting formal education, at age four.
And 70 per cent say it’s unimportant for their kids to know how to use a knife and fork.
The Department for Education has launched a Best Start in Life online guidebook to tackle concerns that teachers now have to act as substitute parents while also juggling traditional classes.
Backed by the NHS, the guide will offer advice on feeding and sleeping routines, speech development, child growth milestones and accessing local childcare.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We’re stepping in to make things simpler and clearer, giving parents access to trusted, expert advice so that their children are ready to learn.”
She added: “Every parent wants the best for their child, but the minute they go online everyone’s got an opinion and it can be impossible for parents to know what or who to trust.”
The National Association of Head Teachers union warned in a 2023 report that “school leaders and staff increasingly end up acting as teachers, social workers and counsellors rolled into one”.
It highlighted how most school staff are working extra hours to plug gaps left by “collapsed social and healthcare services”.
