Open Plan toilets at school in Liverpool

It honestly looks like it was designed for a prison. Like the intent is to intimidate and remind the people using it that they have no control over their situation.

So they are unisex toilets?

Where do Muslim girls adjust their scarves with no privacy?

My children's school has recently had a new block built and with in that block are open plan toilets similar to the ones in the article. They also in another block have toilets that are used for everyone.

Because tween and teen girls just aren't self-conscious enough already. Clearly we need to add additional discomfort.

I was in a school yesterday with toilets that were marginally better than this (floor to ceiling doors on the cubicles) but similar (no sinks in the cubicles, the sink area open to a busy corridor - next to the school reception!). I used the loos and it made me, as a pretty confident adult woman, feel uncomfortable.

This was a new build, so obviously designed like this from scratch. I get the desire to address bullying in the toilets, but I'm really not convinced this is the way to do it.

The more I think about this the angrier I get. Who on earth thought this would be a good idea?

I'm so sick of the needs of women and girls being shafted.

Much as I like the idea of 'a petition going the length of the room', I think you meant a partition, Datun?

Are those loos open at the top? I can think of several teenage boys I know who are tall enough to look over the usual almost-door without even stretching. Yuck.

I would have been distraught with this when I was at school. The boys already tried sneaking into our loos any chance they got (wouldn't even have to sneak these days..progressively ) but the thought of changing a tampon or something where someone just walking past the loo area would have been utterly horrendous. Though I used to try and time changes to be when I was not at school, didn't always work obviously. Already used to freak way too much about even other girls hearing rustling, still do to this day sometimes, maturely

That fucking rediculous who ever dreamed up this car crash of an idea needs sacking....I remember my poor friend with her heavy periods frequently had to wash her knickers in the sink ,and dry them under the hand dryer,..period was irregular and heavy ,no matter how she prepared it caught her out,,thank god for her sake there was normal loos then....parents need to make a stand,and remove kids from that school

I saw this earlier and I just thought What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I wouldn’t use those. I’m a confident adult female as well but this is just horrible. How could you possibly use those toilets as a teenage girl. Imagine going to change a pad or tampon and panicking that at any moment a face might appear over the door.

*partition.

I think a petition is absolutely going to be happening!

I'm a confident, adult woman and I'm looking at that loo and thinking I'd hate to go in there.

Poo smells, period hands.

In full view of a classroom and on CCTV.

As someone commented on the article, smoking is eliminated with a smoke detector and you could have frosted glass for the bullying.

Or a petition going the length of the room with a gap either end for access and that shows the feet and tops of the heads of people not in the cubicles.

Or, have CCTV monitoring outside the toilets.

The lack of privacy in that picture is excruciating.

Slightly off topic but when I lived temporarily with my teenage grandchildren a few years ago (two males one female) ,they flew through the door at 3.20 every day to be first in the loo.None of them would use the school loos throughout the school day due to the 'disgusting' lack of hygiene.
Asking around I found this was a common experience in this and other secondary schools in the area.
Dreadful for many reasons

The only way I can see this working is if they demolished the cubicles and installed proper, floor to ceiling rooms with sinks etc.

As an adult I wouldn't want to use facilities like that so I can't imagine how young girls feel.

Those toilet cubicles look like they'd fall over in a slight breeze so I can't imagine that they would provide any reassurance at all to girls, plus I understand that there is a security camera pointing directly at the now-open room which is questionable.

If they were that bothered about the situation they would have paid for the toilets to be built as individual rooms with sinks but as they haven't done that, and as they have no plans to do the same to the boys toilets, it's clear that they just don't give a fuck about the female students. I would be very surprised if anyone uses those toilets at all now - I know I bloody wouldn't.

My dd's school is open plan onto the hallway, it is an all girls school though. It works well to prevent bullying, and general pratting about.
My friends dh works at St Mary's college it's very strict there would not be boys loitering outside the toilets.

Other countries don't have clean water either should we make them dig holes in the car park for a drink

This is awful. They are discussing this on The Wright Stuff now and one of the (female) panelist's said that girls should put up and shut up because there are girls in other countries that don't have toilets at school. Wtf? Since when are 'other countries' a benchmark for our own standards?

Disgusting, I wouldn't be sending my dd if this ever happened at her school.

I'd be telling my daughter to use the staff toilets.

The shy girl, the girl struggling with heavy periods, the bullied girl, the girl from a religious background where single sex toilets and washing spaces are a prerequisite will all just stop using these facilities. The doors are open above and below and any teenager intent on harassing or bullying can wander in at will. No right to dignity or privacy for the girls in this school.
Anti social behaviour in toilets in schools is a perpetual problem and the solution IS better supervision - but not to the extent of exposing children using the toilets legitimately to the gaze of all.
I'd bet a lot of money that the staff toilets will not be opened up in this way.

As if it's going to stop smoking or bullying anyway. There are plenty of places to do both in school.

This is appalling

At a time when young women are embarrassed to have smear tests this isn't good. Where is the safeguarding?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42747892

I have been to meeting venues and work places that have individual/ unisex loos in open corridors, BUT, they were all floor to ceiling heavy doors, self contained with sinks, mirrors, suitable bins etc.
That is the only acceptable design for this type of facility.