Unisex Primary Toilets

What you seem to be describing is mixed sex or often referred to gender neutral, but never use that as it is wrong!
They are certainly not self contained. The size of the gap is irrelevant if there is a gap! You should get some good advice off SSA.

There are several toilet "blocks" dotted down the main corridor of the school. There are no doors on the toilet block - the block (and sinks) are completely open. This is to reduce bullying as (other than the cubicles) there are no closed doors.

Each toilet block is divided by a row of sinks down the middle. (Girls tend to use the left, boys the right, but this has been decided by the kids, not the adults.)

The toilet cubicles have a gap of about 5cm at the bottom of each door, and about 10cm at the top, but even standing on a toilet seat, you can't see into the next cubicle, even if you're an adult, as the ceilings are high.

BUT there is no sink within the cubicle, so to my mind, it does not qualify as a self-contained room.

I am happy to contact Safe Schools Alliance, but I suspect the school would know that it is me that has made a complaint, which I would rather avoid.

No they are not unisex. Unisex means a self contained room (toilet, sink, sanitary bin) that opens on to a public corridor. Because it is a room they have to be floor to ceiling. I'm not sure what you are describing. See the safe schools alliance link above and get in touch with them by email.

I'd really appreciate some signposting and guidance on this.

I am a governor (and parent - although not a parent governor) at a local brand new school that has unisex toilets.

I brought up this issue (including the issue of sanitary bins) when I first started governing.

The Safeguarding governor and Head inspected the toilets and said that qualify as separate rooms (the doors are almost floor to ceiling - you cannot see over them or under them, but there IS a gap). There is no sink in the cubicle.

Until this year, the only sanitary bins were in the disabled toilet. They have now put them in two (two!) other cubicles in the Y5 and Y6 shared toilet block, and menstruating girls will need to use these specific cubicles.

To my mind this is not acceptable. There is no signage to mean ONLY girls can use these cubicles, and it also marks them out to their friends if they are "waiting" for special cubicles to become available.

The older children themselves have almost started segregating the toilets; there is a block with toilets to the left and the right, divided by a row of sinks. The boys tend to use one side and the girls the other, but this has not been specified or encouraged by the school.

The school is happy that they follow the DofE guidance and that each cubicle constitutes a room (I would disagree). Has anyone got any resources that categorically show what children over the age of 8 need to be able to access? Have there been any test cases with this type of new-built school where someone has decided unisex toilets are a good idea and this has been successfully challenged?

We need to be clear on the classes of toilets (UK) and make sure we always use the correct terminology when speaking to our schools.
Mixed sex
Unisex
Single sex
I'm busy at moment but Safe Schools Alliance have done lots of work on this.
safeschoolsallianceuk.net/?s=Toilets

For OP as your daughter is only 7 I would speak to teacher and ask for a reasonable adjustment like being able to use toilet before break or after break when noone else will be in there. It's great your daughter has articulated her fears and the consequence on her body. Before this fear progresses to a phobia and all the medical issues associated with that school need to take action. You can say you understand the law but your daughter has other needs. A small accommodation to save her health should be ok. The alternative is you keep her off school, which would they prefer?

So, tbh, you still sound both disingenuous and stupid to me.

And tragically US centred. Have you no awareness of how arrogant and culturally imperialist it is to assume that the arrangements in the US are the default setting for the rest of the world too? There are many, many things which are vastly different here in the UK (and other parts of the world, obviously) from how they are in the US. We are not one of your colonies.

Shame on you. Educate yourself. Do better.

And sadly, many schools over here are trying to create unisex toilets in secondary schools - 11 up. (That's against the law, with very good reason. But some are doing it anyway.)

Due to COVID restrictions, the infant bubbles at my daughter’s school have mixed sex toilets but juniors have single-sex. This might be the reason. They aren’t normally mixed and I expect once this crisis is over, they will revert back.

I am merely unfamiliar with school toilets in Britain. You are unfamiliar with school facilities in America.
Given that mumsnet is a UK based site perhaps it should be taken that the default setting is UK? If in doubt, probably best to try and find out what the usual practice on any given subject is in the host country. Posters cannot be expected to know where other posters live unless it is explicitly stated.

Sorry you found our responses snarky. However, the OP did state that her daughter was obliged to share toilets (plural) with boys, thus making it clear that the situation was akin to the set up in your middle schools and not a single occupancy separate room as in your junior schools.
I am glad to see that you agree with the rest of the posters that such toilet blocks should be single sex.

I have determined from the snarky responses that our school situation is different. In kindergarten and elementary (ages 5-11) there is one bathroom per classroom. It is a bath ROOM with full walls and a door that locks and a sink with a soap dispenser. Both sexes use it and even the teacher although the toilets are a little lower than standard.
From middle school on (ages 12-18) there are the large rooms with block cubicles and lines of sinks on the wall. Those, naturally are single sex.

So GrabtharsHammerWhatASavings I am neither disingenuous not stupid. I am merely unfamiliar with school toilets in Britain. You are unfamiliar with school facilities in America.

Toilets at home are entirely different to a mixed sex toilet elsewhere. Why? Because hopefully, everyone knows and trusts the people who use their facilities at home. We're mostly talking about friends & family and there often wouldn't even be the space for mixed sex toilets even if they wanted some! You can't possibly compare toilet use between family members with mixed toilets at schools. It's ridiculous. It might not be as much of an issue at primary school but it definitely is when they're older. It's particularly important to girls. I definitely wouldn't have wanted to share toilets with any of the boys at my school. Just horrible.

I thought mixed sex toilets were against law/guidance? Telling her to 'get over it' is not listening to her or addressing her concerns: it IS a big deal!

My DS is terrified of using the girls loo at school, he's not going until he gets home. It's not just a problem that affects girls.

As you've said it is a Covid issue and I'm sure the school will return to their normal toilets once this is over

Not if they have been stonewalled they won't.

And covid doesn't trump all existing laws. Girls peripds aren't stopping cos of corona.disabled children still need to pee and share outside their bubbles

Existing toilets turned unisex will be u lawful.

Would you expect a burglar to get let go cos of covid cos a cell mate takes him out the bubble?

The law is the law

Most schools don't have the facilities to have a male and female toilet for every bubble and therefore it's easier to just have unisex toilets. They are unable to share toilets with people outside of their bubbles so having boys and girls going together just makes sense at the moment.

As you've said it is a Covid issue and I'm sure the school will return to their normal toilets once this is over.

Thank you Rainbow & I echo sexnotgender, do ask about stuff :)

And absolute bollox to say that a school with mixed sex toilets is good at safeguarding, unless the mixed sex toilets are fully enclosed individual rooms rather than cubicles

Tbh fully enclosed rooms present their own problems.

They can get shoved in. They can get locked in

Any kid with asthma, allergies, epilepsy, diabetes etc could collaps/faint/become weak and you wouldn't see their feet sticking out gap at the bottom of the door.

Thank you for understanding, I will continue to read and learn, but will keep quiet for now!

To those whose schools are implementing mixed sex toilets due to covid - this is simply not a good enough reason. Covid "bubbles" do not override existing law. Children aged 8 and up have the right to single sex facilities. If they are ignoring this rule for covid reasons, what other safeguarding rules are they ignoring? Making a complaint is absolutely the right thing to do, despite this being a ridiculously difficult time for schools (I'm a teacher).

And absolute bollox to say that a school with mixed sex toilets is good at safeguarding, unless the mixed sex toilets are fully enclosed individual rooms rather than cubicles.

God, I hate public toilets with a vehement passion.

I don't see why they can't just implement single-roomed cubicles - one toilet and one sink.

I imagine there are also a whole host of boys who don't like sharing with girls either. Talk to the teacher about the kids denying her access.

I see we are both apologising! Yes, welcome Over

I genuinely can’t see why mixed toilets is an issue for any sex.

I note that you have read the report and have changed your mind. But I did just want to mention for others reading who also don't see why females want single sex spaces that you don't have to understand it yourself to accept that it is the case.

I am sorry, OverTheRainbow88, but I do get ranty.

You are quite right, lots of people come onto this board and see a different perspective and learn from it. Some others have been known to come with an agenda, happy to bait. Can be hard to tell who is who.