Children being allowed to go to the toilet at school

This rule is ridiculous! What about girls on periods? Do the school need a doctors letter to confirm that a girl is on her period? I don’t really know what to advise but the school can’t demand medical records that’s insane. They can give their silly little ‘negatives’ if they want but they don’t mean squat in the grand scheme of things.
Ask if your doctor can write a fairly general letter maybe stating something like ‘Sarah has digestive issues and I would strongly recommend she be allowed to go to the toilet when required’. I would imagine the school would be very reluctant to go against medical advice even if they don’t have all the details.
I do have some sympathy for teachers because I imagine there are lots of kids who would take the absolute piss if the rules were too relaxed. But there has to be a more reasonable middle ground.

Its a fucking disgrace and probably illegal. Hate schools for this.

Is that not disability discrimination? They cant demand that level of personal info

My sons high school is the same. My son wees in the bushes, because otherwise he wouldn't get a chance to go, as the queues are too long at break time. Apparently a lot of kids do the same. Absolute disgrace

Are there’s lot of fights?

I do worry about dd. I was just chatting with her she said the toilets are disgusting and that there are always girls vaping in there.

She’s such a quiet nice girl, it really worries me all this horrible stuff going on.

What is your opinion on children being allowed to go to the toilet during lesson time at school?

Dd is 11 and recently stated year 7.

The toilets are locked during lesson time. The teachers do not let them leave class to go. If they do have to go in an emergency they get a negative log, even if they have a toilet pass it’s still logged.

Dd has always had a sensitive digestive system and will often need to poo multiple times a day, sometimes she’s have to hold it in and then end up constipated. She also gets desperate for a wee especially around her totm.

She said the queues are often too long to go at break so she’s having to hold it in all lesson, she’s getting stressed and upset.

I spoke to the school about a toilet pass but they have said you must provide medical evidence.

She doesn’t have a diagnosed medical condition though, she just needs to go a lot.

I have severe IBS and an overactive bladder but I wasn’t diagnose until I was in my thirties.

Aibu to take her to the doctors? The trouble is I don’t know if there is anything medically wrong and I don’t want her out on tablets, also she feels embarrasses to say she gets a dodgy stomach she’s self conscious like most kids would be.

But it feels like pushing for a medical diagnosis is the only way to get her the support she needs.

Op the school are being ridiculous getting a print out of medical records there not for all and sundry to see. Its a joke they feel kids mess about going the toilet but that’s another issue any human being should be able to empty their bladder or bowels without everyone needing to know.

I cannot tell you how angry this makes me that our young people aren't even allowed to decide when they need the toilet! We are creating a generation that will be completely unable to make decisions for themselves and it's disgraceful! They aren't even allowed to decide if they are hot enough to take their blazers off, but I guess that's a different matter.
Absolutely speak to your GP, but also I would make sure the school knew my thoughts on the matter. It probably won't change anything but maybe if enough parents complained it might help (although I doubt it) I'm so glad mine is older and no longer at school!

100% agree with this! If they kids are messing about in the toilets it's because the school has lost control.

I’ve taught for a very long time.
Occasionally in the past a pupil would ask to go to the loo. It wasn’t a common occurrence and they’d be allowed to go. About 6 years ago something started to change and has got progressively worse. Our school has an ask and you can go policy. One at a time. I’m not exaggerating by saying that in some classes 10 students will go. A third of the class! Lessons are one hour long. So many children being caught short yet I as a menopausal woman with a pelvic floor that has seen much better days, has never had to leave a lesson.
Weirdly on the residential with a 12 hour coach trip to Europe nobody needed to go on the bus. They waited for the comfort breaks.
Social media has definitely played a part in this new phenomenon- parents demanding that schools allow their kid to go no matter what and peddling the narrative that school are like prisons etc.
The boys toilets on my corridor have been repeatedly vandalised to the point they can’t be used.

Maybe because every time a toilet gets vandalised the s hool has to find £££ to fix it.
Maybe because many kids will use going to the loo as a way to miss lessons at best, vape, do drugs or beat someone up at worst. I know people dont want to hear it and obviously 'not all kids'. Not most. But enough. So until someone can fix that, we cannot keep comparing schools to work places with adults.

I do think the ops example is extreme and the school absolutely does not have the rught to be privy to that level of detail to justify a pass. That I would challenge.

I could be wrong here, but I honestly think that if they stopped treating kids like idiots and allowed them to think for themselves and gave them some trust, most kids wouldn't let them down. I think the majority of kids are good and if you allow them some independence they act responsibly. Obviously if they break the rules or cause damage then their should be consequences but if you expect kids to let you down, they will. Nobody monitored the toilets when I was at school back in the dark ages and we managed without ripping sinks off walls etc!

I could be wrong here, but I honestly think that if they stopped treating kids like idiots and allowed them to think for themselves and gave them some trust, most kids wouldn't let them down. I think the majority of kids are good and if you allow them some independence they act responsibly. Obviously if they break the rules or cause damage then their should be consequences but if you expect kids to let you down, they will. Nobody monitored the toilets when I was at school back in the dark ages and we managed without ripping sinks off walls etc!

It's fucking barbaric. Even in the time of the belt at school we were allowed to go to the toilet. Its a human right. Concentrate on teaching the kids better. Saying that i had a male teacher refuse me a toilet break in high school, being the bolshy girl i am i stood up after the third time of refusal and walked to the door, he tried to stop me and i asked him if he would like me to bleed through or go to the toilet? Git soon changed his mind.

So you think that children wandering about the corridors. Hanging out in toilets. Destroying property should just be ignored? The rule is there for a reason.

Don’t like it? Find a school which does not have that rule or homeschool.

It’s not a small minority.
Pupils crap on the floor and find it hilarious. Girls stick used sanitary pads all over the walls and ceilings. Boys block urinals with poo and food.
Then there is the vaping, smoking weed etc.
Boys rip urinals off the wall.
Abusive graffiti is everywhere.
All these mumsnetters who disagree with limiting toilet access should volunteer to be a school toilet cleaner….

Let's stop expecting the worst from our young people and encourage independent thinking. In my experience if you build a strong relationship with a teenager and show them a bit of trust they rarely let you down (obviously if they do let you down there has to be consequences) The problem now is you have so many rules, kids can't decide when they want to go to the toilet, or take off their blazer for example, it's so restrictive they are bound to push boundaries. Yes, some kids are feral, but even those kids can behave better when they think someone actually believes in them. There is so much potential in these kids, but it's being squashed by an struggling system, teachers who are at breaking point and just a general lack of mutual respect. I find it really sad.

Let's stop expecting the worst from our young people and encourage independent thinking. In my experience if you build a strong relationship with a teenager and show them a bit of trust they rarely let you down (obviously if they do let you down there has to be consequences) The problem now is you have so many rules, kids can't decide when they want to go to the toilet, or take off their blazer for example, it's so restrictive they are bound to push boundaries. Yes, some kids are feral, but even those kids can behave better when they think someone actually believes in them. There is so much potential in these kids, but it's being squashed by an struggling system, teachers who are at breaking point and just a general lack of mutual respect. I find it really sad.