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AIBU?

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Original poster

Toilet passes

57 replies

itsaknockout · 12/11/2014 16:24

My DD is 9.her school don't allow the children to go to the toilet in lesson times-fine.At break and lunch times if they want to go, they have to ask the teacher on duty , who will issue a toilet pass if there is no-one from their class in the toilet ie there is one girls pass and one boys pass for each class.
AIBU to think this is a bit demeaning .There should be a time they are allowed to go without having to ak permission?

OP posts:
TimeForAnotherNameChange · 12/11/2014 16:31

It's usually to stop any potential bullying and the constant to-ing and fro-ing of large groups of children being silly. It's not that they'll be denied access but that they'll just have to hang on for a moment until the other person gets back.

Suefla62 · 12/11/2014 16:46

I have a toilet pass for the bathroom next to my classroom, four classrooms share the 2 toilets, 1 for girls and 1 for boys. They're nice new, clean bathrooms and we've found that we have to issue passes to keep them clean and sanitary.

You wouldn't believe the state that they got into before the pass system was put into place, if it happened in their own homes goodness knows what their Mothers would think.

EatDessertFirst · 12/11/2014 17:03

It makes sense. Then, as well as the reasons PP have given if there is a fire or something, the teacher only has to remember two names rather than a whole group of names.

WooWooOwl · 12/11/2014 17:05

They have probably had problems with children messing around in the toilets at break times and are doing this in response.

EdYouKateShaun · 12/11/2014 17:06

I don't see the issue other than the actual passes must be germ-ridden!
Envy

Bluetonic123 · 12/11/2014 17:18

I think not letting children go to the loo in lessons is a bit mean. Especially for the little ones in reception. Not all 4 year olds cam hold on for very long.

Original poster
itsaknockout · 12/11/2014 17:21

I think going to the toilet, at the right time is a right not a privilege that one should need a pass for.

OP posts:
Oakmaiden · 12/11/2014 17:30

You are quote right, knockout, but unfortunately it is impractical. 20 children cannot use the toilet at the same time, so there is really no reason for 20 of the to be hanging around in there. Much more sensible to stay outside playing until the pass comes back, and the toilet is free, so you can go straight away.

Not to mention that school toilets are extremely challenging places for a lot of children, and keeping down the number of children using them helps a little bit to keep down the stress for some children.

Adarajames · 12/11/2014 20:10

Don't know about the 4 year olds, but I struggle to make it through a whole lesson without needing the loo! Apparently is a fibro thing Hmm

ReeseWithoutHerSpoon · 12/11/2014 20:14

Of course being able to go to the toilet is a right, but along with rights come responsibilities. The children have the responsibility to behave appropriately and treat the facilities with respect. If that hasn't been happening then a strategy (like the toilet passes) needs to be put in place. The school could have said that the children can't use the toilet at all during lessons but they haven't. The children still do have the RIGHT to use the toilet.

SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker · 12/11/2014 20:15

If you get four or five in a bathroom the amount of soap, water, toilet paper spread around and general shenanigans increases exponentially.

When my DS was little he was extremely literal and had a problem communicating his needs well. One teacher refused to let anyone else go to the toilet because there had been lots of time wasting going on there and he wet his pants, a lot. She had no spare clothes for him and I was 20 minutes away so she had to deal with it. She didn't stop him going again.

SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker · 12/11/2014 20:16

OP, I agree that it should not be a privilege, but if they did let kids go whenever they would need a full-time adult to manage it for each bathroom.

ReeseWithoutHerSpoon · 12/11/2014 20:16

Sorry, I misread the OP. I've heard of this system where the toilet passes are in place within lesson times to monitor who's in the toilet, not so much at play times and I've never before heard of a school stop the children going during lessons altogether. I would suggest that something pretty drastic had taken place for it to get to this point?

Sallyingforth · 12/11/2014 20:18

How many schools have bathrooms? Toilet yes, and showers. But bathrooms?

Fairywhitebear · 12/11/2014 20:19

Seriously?

You've clearly never set foot in a school/classroom yourself then.

Worry about something important instead.

SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker · 12/11/2014 20:19

In my son's primary school one or more of the boys (I'm assuming as it happened in the boy's loo) locked all the bathroom stalls, pulled all the toilet paper off the rolls onto the floor and set the taps running and left. I'm guessing it was a small group of them that were bored, unsupervised and thought it was funny.

SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker · 12/11/2014 20:20

I live in America, we call them bathrooms there. Sorry for the confusion.

CrohnicallyAnxious · 12/11/2014 20:23

As well as the other points about children messing around in there, it would prompt a member of staff to check if they have been waiting for a pass for a while- a child might be unwell or in need of assistance in there but without checking children in and out it's easy to miss them not returning during a busy break time.

I think the toilet pass system is very sensible, however during break times I would have a set number of passes for use by everyone (say a couple more passes than there are toilets so as one child comes out and washes their hands the next child can go in). That way if a child from one class needs a poo, they don't hold up the rest of their classmates!

Oh- and I assumed that as the OP's daughter is 9, she is a junior and the 'no toilet in lesson times' is for juniors only. Which is fair enough provided the teacher can tell if a child has a real emergency situation! Usually, knowing that they will be denied is enough to discourage children from asking who only want to mess around. And it prevents the Mexican wave effect (you know, one child goes to the toilet and 5 more ask if they can go).

nowitscleanugobshite · 12/11/2014 20:36

I've taught in primary school for a looooong time and I am never ceased to be amazed at the shenanigans that small children can get up to in the toilets!!! Some of the "games" are fun! Locking the loo doors and crawling out-that's a rite of passage! Pulling the loo roll out in yards like an Andrew puppy-wasteful, but there's worse things to do. The perpetual "who can pee highest up the wall" game always ends badly....and usually quite damply!! As does the "diverting the water along the back of the sink onto the floor" game!! Some children like to create huge piles of bubbles with the liquid soap! Pretty.....but not especially safe on a slippy floor! And the very scientific "how damp does a paper towel need to be before it sticks to the ceiling" experiment can be messy!! My personal favourite..... The appreciated the ingenuity of the boy who was using his own "stream" to propel a paper boat along the urinal trough!
School toilets are very different places to your home loo-and different rules apply. Not going during lessons-I'm not sure I'd enforce that too strictly -but then I teach 4 year olds! (Though I do enforce a "no leaving the hall" rule at PE/assembly etc-because it's for a short time and once one goes....there's s queue!!) Toilet passes... I don't like the name but the "one in/one out"/move your name on the Velcro etc-that's good management in some circumstances. Safety is our ultimate responsibility and toilets aren't really places to be congregating with your friends.....until you're at least 18 and the toilet is in a nightclub!!!

SelfconfessedSpoonyFucker · 12/11/2014 20:42

yes using the floor to make a wet wadded toilet paper maze that you can pee along to see how far it will go. Lovely.

threepiecesuite · 12/11/2014 20:49

In high school, they almost definitely won't be able to go in lesson time (I rarely allow it, discretion used of course) so it's good practice.
You want to make them think a trip to the toilet is quick and functional, not exciting and a chance to mess around.

notasgreenasimcabbagelooking · 12/11/2014 20:49

I like that idea spoony!! Like a variation on a grid for a beebot...or a peebot!! Had a child ask me a few weeks ago if he was allowed to use "that" pointing to the urinal. I said yes-of course he was. My mistake....I should have said "of course....if you need to pee"!!!! He didn't need to pee!!!

Jessica85 · 12/11/2014 22:18

I struggled with this in teacher training. I don't like the idea of preventing students from going to the toilet if they need, but there are a number of students who claim to need the loo just to get 5 mins out of the lesson. My current rule is quite simple - if you really need to then you can go, but you must stay behind for 5 mins at the end and make sure you complete all work from that day. It's amazing how many students realise they can wait.

OOAOML · 12/11/2014 22:59

I used to have to go in high school three as I had a phase of very heavy periods and couldn't always make it through a double lesson. I was too mortified to say why I needed, just hoped I would be allowed.

Pipbin · 12/11/2014 23:07

Once you've removed you 5th toilet roll that has been shoved down the loo then shat on you will understand the need.