Mixed Sex Toilets in Schools

I don't see how it prevents bullying. Instead of a fairly open room with flimsy doors you suddenly have a very enclosed, lockable space. Teachers etc. can't get in if necessary.

In primary girls will just be adapting to having periods, they won't be confident yet changing, they will likely be a bit messy. They will be walking out the toilet to wash their hands with boys? It's not fair and makes what already might be quite hard and potentially embarrassing, especially if they are younger, even more difficult. And I doubt that 11 year old boys are mature enough to deal with it sensibly and lots of teasing will likely ensue.

On top of that who wants to share a toilet with multiple 6 year old boys? There'll be wee everywhere! Its not practical. And it'll be the girls who have to clean it up because they are the ones who have to sit down.

At secondary you have the same thing, 11 year olds who aren't yet confident changing pads etc. Sharing toilets with 16 year old boys! Or 18 if there's a sixth form. It's hard enough changing pads with older girls next door let alone 16 year old boys when you first start!

I had a problem with mixed toilets the other day, in a restaurant with individual cubical and shared sinks. A group of really drunk men on a stag were by the sinks, they started saying all sorts of things about me and learing at me and it was just horrible. I went into he cubical and hid until they went but it made me feel really uncomfortable and vulnerable and I don't often feel like. So now I'm against mixed toilets because I realised how vulnerable it leaves women in clubs and things

One of the toilets in my children's school was designated 'gender neutral' (ie boy & girls can use it) due to a child socially transitioning. I think that is the best solution, but I have to say while my son who is 9 is happy to use it, my daughter who is 7 (who ALWAYS needs the loo after school!) would rather walk to the girls loo at the other end of the school than use it. It makes me very glad they opted to retain some separate sex toilets.

I am thinking of applying to be a school governor precisely so that I can in some small way help our school avoid making disastrous decisions that disadvantage girls. This thread is very helpful, thank you.

What about girls wanting to wash moon cups out in the sink, mixed hand washing does not work.

and yes boys will do horrible things with tampons or towels, I've had that happen.

I can often tell if somehow their period because sometimes there is a smell in the cubicle, if you are next (this was a personal problem for me also, I had very heavy periods and sometimes blood in the toilet that won't flush )

With current levels of obesity, many more girls are going to reach a body weight that triggers periods while still at primary school. This can already be distressing and embarrassing for 9 or 10 year olds, let alone having to deal with unexpected bleeding and stained clothing in a toilet full of boys.
Virtually no boys reach puberty before 11, so they can hardly claim that there are loads of traumatised trans kids having to use the boys loo - they are still kids, not “transwomen”.
This stupid idea of unisex loos in primary schools distresses many and is required for no-one. If I still had kids that age, I’d be raising hell with the head teacher and the local education authority.

These style (and I assume is what they are doing in OP) they have them open off teh corridor rather than shut in a room, so anyone walking past can see what's going on.
This reduces/removes opportunity to corner someone in the toilet.

It seems to be the fashion to make these changes in schools at the mo. I think it saves space as well.

Wouldn't it technically double bullying because now there are twice as many people in there

My sixth form had the mixed toilets off an open corridor set up and that was completely fine, each was essentially a tiny bathroom with a sink and bin in it. My university however decided to be progressive and changed all the library toilets to mixed sex during my second year, everyone hated it. Although they had floor to ceiling doors they were still just flimsy cubicle doors as opposed to rooms and all wash basins ect where communal. It led to most girls avoiding them completely as they were always dirtier than the previous single sex set up (pee on seat unflushed etc). The set up was not appropriate for adults let alone primary school children

Girls do bully each other in the toilets though sometimes quite badly.

Not saying that mixed is the way but when it comes to the reasons they are giving ie reducing bullying I suspect it is both sexes not just the boys.

You do give lots more ammo for teh boys to bully the girls if you mix them though.

Girls are too often used by schools to help address the behaviour of boys. For example, being seated between disruptive boys to help mediate their behaviour, at the expense of the girl’s own education and social experience. It’s not girls’ responsibility to mediate boys’ behaviour. Equally, girls should not lose privacy and dignity as an easy means to improve the behaviour of boys

Every thing is down to us isn't it.

So lazy.

We are going to end up in a situation where girls just go to school anymore. Even girls schools are no longer girls school. Or shortly will no longer be girls schools. Men really are just trying to remind girls they shouldn't be there

I pity the girls at these schools I really really do. And shame on thise coming up with this crap. They seem to have forgotten what growing up is actually like

I thougth it was a pragmatic solution and thoughtful to the girls TBH.

It set my mind at rest when DD started just going into yr6 and they told me that was the arrangement.

“Periods is a big difference though >> this is a primary ,and girls who start are allowed to use the staff toilet.”

That’s unsatisfactory, surely?

Why?

I assume it's teh staff toilet, it may be a visitor one. It's not shut away it's off a corridor and is a floor to ceiling door and always clean and cosy inside and has a sanitary disposal bin. It's the sort of thing where you might feel quite grown up at using the otherwise off limits grown up toilet
My only worry was girls being spotted and people knowing but DD said no issues.

I don't know that primary school toilets have them as standard?

This was teh situation before they remodeled teh girls toilets as well - no sanitary bin in there - it's a v small school so it would be expensive for just, well it's going to only be 1, 2 or 3 girls in the whole school who had started their periods.

I don't remember vending machines.

Vending machines are outrageously expensive.

I'd hope in a school that the girls would be able t/ know to ask a friend or failing that a teacher, and the teacher or school nurse (do they still have those?) would be able to supply for free.

@Babdoc

"So is every cubicle going to contain a Tampax dispenser as well as a sanitary disposal bin?"

In my school, they just did away with the vending machine for sanitary products in the main toilets (which were the unisex ones) -there were other bathrooms that were single sex, but located too far away to use between class, so you could only use them at lunchtime really. And once the unisex toilets were brought in, the lines for the female toilets (much smaller than the main unisex ones) were huge at lunch time. I don't think there were sanitary bins in all of the cubicles in the unisex toilets either, just some of them.

I used to wait until I was in class, then ask to use the bathroom, so that I could have a bit of privacy as everyone else was in lessons.

ItsAllGoingToBeFine
You are right. Good schools do this in all sorts of ways to ensure that all get their voices heard.
I would put money on it that none of these schools introducing mixed sex toilets have bothered to seek the views of children and young people (let alone their parents). Yet again, it is the aggressive trans lobby influencing practice in schools.

Heres something as well, that's not what I really want to talk about. My periods also, crazy heavy, very hard to manage and pain ( oh my God) anyway.

Every period I had accidents: blood dripping on floor, getting on knickers or toilet seat. Bad enough in an all girls toilet, but also the smell of blood, sorry folks there is no way around this one.

I can often smell when it when I go into a loo right after someone who is menstruating has been in there. I would have been mortified with boys in the same space.

“Periods is a big difference though >> this is a primary ,and girls who start are allowed to use the staff toilet.”

That’s unsatisfactory, surely?

listen to young people

It's not just about listening as you will only hear the loud confident voices (this goes for adults too!) You need to create a way that everyone can feedback honestly without any risk of being judged by their peers.

I don't believe teenage boys or girls want to share toilets. But as usual, there's only one group being listened to - and it's not children and young people. This is what we need to push - listen to young people

There should be separate toilets for boys and girls. As a teenage girl in particular, you can feel self conscious and uncomfortable around the issue of periods with boys in the same toilet. I also think that girls need a safe space amongst other girls (just like boys).

Girls are too often used by schools to help address the behaviour of boys. For example, being seated between disruptive boys to help mediate their behaviour, at the expense of the girl’s own education and social experience. It’s not girls’ responsibility to mediate boys’ behaviour. Equally, girls should not lose privacy and dignity as an easy means to improve the behaviour of boys

Amen

I started my periods at age 10. They were heavy to the point that I had to use 2 towels at a time and had to have days 1-3 of my period at home as the cramps were so bad I couldn't stand - this was with prescribed medication. It took me until I was 14 to be confident enough to change my towels at school in single sex facilities. Prior to age 14 on the days I was in school during my period I would use the same towel/towels all day as I was so embarrassed.

Had single sex facilities not been an option I would either have stayed off school for the duration of my period or just worm the same pads all day which was pretty gross.

Removing single sex facilities for young girls shouldn't be an option at all. They need access to both toilet and hand washing facilities for these reasons. If my girls face this shit and are bothered by it, it is something that I would absolutely take them out of school over and home educate. I imagine I would not be the only parent to decide this...but then I suppose the government could cut the budget for schools.

My secondary school dd tells me they have just had some mixed facilities put in - she doubts she or any of her peers will use them. Lots of primary school dc hold themselves back rather than use the toilets anyway (my dh never once used the loo at primary school apparently) which is rather unhealthy.