Schools are “picking up the pieces” as more children start reception without key skills such as speaking in full sentences or using the toilet independently, teaching unions have told the BBC.
A third of teachers have at least five children in their school’s reception class who need help with going to the toilet, a survey of more than 1,000 primary school teachers in England suggests.
Nine in 10 who responded to the Teacher Tapp survey had seen a decrease in speech and language abilities among new starters over the past two years.
The government previously announced a target for 75% of children to be at a good level of development on leaving reception by 2028.