Parents should be issued with a checklist of “essential skills” to teach their children because large numbers of infants are starting school unable to speak properly or even use the toilet, according to the head of Ofsted.

Sir Michael Wilshaw called for new “minimum requirements” to be introduced for all under-fives to make sure they are properly prepared for full-time education.

He said it was necessary for parents to teach boys and girls how to act from a young age, insisting that the “family is the great educator” in a child’s life.

Every parent should be issued with a simple checklist of skills children should master by the age of five, he said, including toilet training, behaviour boundaries, recognising their own name, putting on a coat and shoes and talking in sentences.

Ofsted is the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills. We report directly to Parliament and we are independent and impartial. We inspect and regulate services which care for children and young people, and those providing education and skills for learners of all ages.