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Original poster

School bathroom

87 replies

SomeoneRandom · 19/02/2024 22:39

My child has come to me and said her school has locked every single bathroom minus one. That one bathroom has about 8 stalls. 3 girls. 3 boys. Yeah 7,8,9 and 10 all now only have this one bathroom. This is about 1000 students. Is this legal? All the other bathrooms are locked completely, one of the bathrooms even has a wooden panel covering the doorway to make sure students don't get in. My daughter also said outside the one bathroom, they now only have, there is a teacher with a desk. I'm not sure what she does. I'm guessing they're keeping track? What should I do?

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coronafiona · 19/02/2024 22:49

It is legal and has been in the news. It's to prevent bullying, phone use, vaping etc. doesn't make it right though it's just barbaric.

Hobbi · 19/02/2024 22:49

Regulations state 1 toilet per 20 children an, after the age of 8, separate toilets for the two sexes.

There is no law requiring schools to allow children to go during lessons but health and safety law trumps most other laws and should be cited and used where schools are doing this.

Hercisback · 19/02/2024 22:49

Even at break and lunch, if it's not safe to open the unsupervised toilets, schools won't.

I know it's awful and stops children going to the toilet. But what else can schools do? They're stuck in a funding and retention crisis, no provision for the most extreme behaviour, so they have to resort to this type policy to keep studets safe.

WMGPFT · 19/02/2024 22:48

Nowhere near enough. I get that they need to know who is going where in lesson time and have enough staff to monitor at breaks, but the DFE guidance ‘advice on standards for school premises’ advises 1 toilet per 20 students.

Original poster
SomeoneRandom · 19/02/2024 22:46

It isn't during lessons. All the bathrooms are locked completely, there is only one bathroom during lessons and at break and lunch.

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Hiddenvoice · 19/02/2024 22:46

You could try contact the school to find out what’s happening . I assume there’s been some incidents in the toilets and this is how the school is dealing with it.

Littlestlolo · 19/02/2024 22:45

This is really common in schools, they lock the toilets during lessons

FacingTheWall · 19/02/2024 22:44

Nowhere near enough for the regulations around number of toilets needed and if boys and girls are sharing the same ‘block’ then they have to have completely enclosed individual cubicles.

Hobbi · 19/02/2024 22:43

Sadly not uncommon. A MAT local to me blatantly lied about this policy to the media until it was forced by student action to change. It's abusive and inhumane and, if any child has medical needs requiring a toilet, discriminatory. Ask the school if this is true, and if it is, how they expect children to go to the toilet.

Querty123456 · 19/02/2024 22:42

It will be because of anti social behaviour.

Hercisback · 19/02/2024 22:40

It may be for safeguarding reasons. If there has been an incident in a toilet, students need monitoring and there's not enough staff to watch all sets of toilets so they get shut.

Original poster
SomeoneRandom · 19/02/2024 22:40

I forgot to add but two of them aren't in use.

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