For some parents, getting ready for school means buying uniforms and labeling water bottles. For others, the big question is whether their child can use the toilet alone.

Almost a third of children starting school in England's West Midlands last year were not fully toilet-trained, according to a survey by the charity Kindred Squared, the BBC reported. Primary school staff said 42% of children arriving in reception, the first year of school, were not ready for school.

Nationwide, about one in four children were not toilet-trained when they started reception at ages 4 to 5, the Daily Mail reported. Teachers spent an average of 1 hour and 24 minutes a day dealing with toilet accidents.

There is a fix that seems to work. In a pilot in York that began in April, parents were sent potty-training and school-readiness guides along with their school place offers. Workshops were held, and help was offered through doctors, pharmacies and libraries. The number of children starting school not toilet-trained fell by almost half, the BBC said.

The charity is now rolling out the scheme in Solihull. Up to 20 councils plan to send potty-training guides to parents, the Daily Mail reported.

An early years specialist said school readiness is about more than the toilet. "Can they talk and have conversations? Are you reading stories to them?" said Ruth Lu-Quee, a former deputy head teacher. "Can they hang their coat or can they take their socks off?"

But she warned that "childhood isn't a race" and that school readiness should not become a source of anxiety for families.

What we know: many children start school not toilet-trained, research shows.
What we don't: whether the councils' guides will change that.