Rise in number of children who start infant school wearing nappies as teachers are forced to spend time cleaning up accidents Teachers alarmed by growing amount of youngsters not trained to use the toilet The number of children starting school still wearing nappies has risen, according to a study by health experts. Teachers said they were alarmed by the growing amount of youngsters aged five and older who had not been trained to use the toilet. They said they were spending more time dealing with children who were 'having accidents'. Worrying: The number of children starting school still wearing nappies has risen, according to a study by health experts. There was also concern that some children did not drink enough water and did not recognise the feelings of a full bladder. In a survey of 18 primary schools, it was found a total of 24 children did not know how to use a toilet and still wore nappies in class. One school said they had had to replace the carpets in two classrooms because of the problem with 'toilet accidents' by pupils. Now Kent Community Health NHS Trust, who carried out the study in the county, has launched a scheme in Dover and Deal to tackle the issue. The scheme will see school nurses and health visitors identify children who need help at nursery before they start school. School nurse practice teacher Chris Beer said: 'Last year we had lots of contact from schools saying they were seeing a rising number of children starting school who were still wearing nappies and children who were not staying clean and dry during the day. Concerns: Teachers said they were alarmed by the growing amount of youngsters aged five and older who had not been trained to use the toilet. Teachers were concerned they were spending less time teaching and more time helping the children who were having accidents. One school told us that due to the problem, they had to replace the carpets in two classrooms. He added: 'Because some children don't drink enough during the day, they don't learn to control their bladders and recognise the feelings of needing to go to the toilet. What we hope is that by working with children who are struggling early on in nursery, we can support them so by the time they get to school they will be clean and dry and can concentrate on learning. The trust is working with two nurseries attached to Bright Sparks Pre-school, in Deal, and Shatterlocks Infants School and Nursery, in Dover. A trust spokesman said: 'The aim is to support parents with children who do not have underlying medical problems, but who struggle to stay dry during the day. Those children who have more complex needs will be referred to the specialist bladder and bowel team at Kent Community Health NHS Trust. The initiative, called Clean, Dry and Ready for School, is likely to be extended all over Kent. The Association of Teachers and Lecturers claimed the problem was partly due to children starting school younger - 'with some going into a primary after just turning four' - but much of it was caused by parents failing to toilet train their youngsters. A spokesman said: 'It ought to be the parent's responsibility but there are some who lack parenting skills or are yet to master them. Because the children are in school it's then left to teachers to deal with the situation.' Siobhan Freegard, founder of the UK's largest parenting site Netmums, said: 'These new figures are worrying as they potentially show a generation of children being shunted between nurseries and parents, neither of whom seem to have enough time to properly toilet train children in their care. Potty training is time consuming and messy - no parent likes it but every parent recognises it needs to be done as children transition from toddlers to schoolkids. However, with the increasing pressures on family budgets, more and more mums have been forced back to work, leaving little time to put in the long hours toilet training needs.