Is it legal for a teacher to deny a child access to a toilet?

[NotTheMrMenAgain]

I have a friend whose DC, age 13, recently soiled themselves in class because the teacher repeatedly refused to allow them to go to the toilet (and were fairly dismissive about it, by the sound of it). It wasn't a small mishap - the rest of the class were dismissed and my friend called to collect DC.
Understandably, DC is mortified and horrified and my friend very upset and angry. There's been a verbal apology from the head of year to my friend, who said how upset the teacher involved was - but no apology from the teacher to the DC - the teacher had since ignored the child/incident.
AIBU to think this simply isn't good enough? My heart goes out to the poor kid, who knows what kind of mark it will leave and what sort of bullying/mockery it will set them up for.
Is it against a child's basic rights to deny them access to a toilet? It seems like cruelty to me. It this a common policy at secondary school? Apparently they aren't allowed to pop to the loo in between classes, only at break/lunch. When I was a teenager my periods were heavy and I wouldn't have made it til break without an accident!

TBH I think it is disgraceful - transfer this policy to the workplace - adults being refused the opportunity to use the toilet.

Just grabbing a quick cuppa while kids have loo break. I asked my students after telling them what this thread was about and said did they know if anyone who has had a problem with schools policy - I paraphrased as was in a hurry. I was joking with them which they knew. And I happen to know none of them have ever had a problem as I would have known. Weekly Staff briefings are for this purpose. I have already said, as has every teacher on the thread, that we let students go if they need to, not just want to. But no one is listening. So us few teachers, in our combined 50 odd years of teaching have never had an accident in our classes. As we let the tummy ache go, we let the girl who looks at us and we understand go, we let the jiggly boy who has asked twice go. We don't want kids to have accidents and it may surprise you to know but I really like my students and only want the best for them. Strange concept I know. Right, kettle boiled so back to 'work'. On my day off, in my own time, because I want my students to succeed.

If the School policy was no toilet in lesson time then why should the teacher apologise? If it was down to teacher discretion then maybe they should if the child had repeatedly asked and didn't usually luck a pound in class.

Because the child shat in their pants

I'm surprised this is such a huge issue. Back in 'the dark ages' when I was at school, there were no official policies or rules for this sort of thing, but it was generally understood that you were expected not to use the loo during lessons (lessons lasted about 2 hours) - however, if there was a genuine need, a 'quiet word' with your teacher sufficed (going up to speak to them privately and explaining the situation rather than waving your hand in the air and shouting). The teachers at my school seemed to exercise appropriate discretion - no one ever soiled themselves.

A good teacher can tell if a student is making a genuine request for a loo break and can tell when a chancer is trying to take the mickey.

So that's the answer then, this wasn't a good teacher.

Or this was a good teacher who, being human and not omniscient, made a mistake this time.

Either way I do think the teacher owes the pupil a proper apology.

Trying very hard to read this thread with an open mind. I sympathise with teachers trying to deliver lessons in a climate of disruption. I don't think I have to be a teacher to understand that. However the upholding of a policy would never, ever outweigh the humiliation (potential or otherwise) of a child or teen in the horrible situation like that of the OP. That's my emotional reaction. I then asked my 19 and 17 year old (both have left school) about this. They said they never encountered draconian enforcement of a no toilet in lessons policy. They said either you had a toilet pass, or the teacher signed the student planner and there were staff patrolling the loos and corridors to deal with any time wasters.

Locked toilets? I am so glad my kids have left school. Much as I feel for the really challenging responsibilities of teachers, this would give me the rage. If I was any where where the loos were locked, I'd immediately need to go. Badly. Good job I'm not in school either.

I remember when a boy in my maths class wet himself in year 8 because he was refused the toilet after asking several times and he was the butt of jokes until he left at the end of year 11. Poor lad.
It has stuck with me and my kids know that if an accident is imminent they have my permission to leave the class! It's never come up but if it did I'm confident they would do it.

This is awful for your friend and the child. How come they soiled themselves, were they nervous or had they eaten something? If it's a bowel condition, surely they are allowed to be excused.

I went to an all girls school and we were not allowed out of class for the toilet. I remember bleeding all over my skirt, despite asking repeatedly for the toilet.

mumsneedwine, I'd be very annoyed if my kids went to a lecture on exam technique and the teacher spent her time messing about and reading them a forum about a child who wasn't allowed to go to the loo and asking for their feedback. What a waste of time, by the way I think your students sound like they are taking the mick out of you if they say they couldn't be left alone for a few minutes. To think they could be off to uni in just over 2 years, however will they cope if Miss isn't holding their hands.

OneFlewOverTheDodosNest - no, I'm the same. And it definitely affects my life - I am really careful about what I eat or drink during the day and I do plan out where toilets are. I've also had some really embarrassing/gross incidents, like having to shit in bushes on one occasion, and then wrap the mess up in my pants and carry it to a bin (totally foul, I know).

I've been like this since my teens. In school I just didn't eat or drink until I got home from school in the evening. I did get teased about my stomach making grumbling noises but I decided that was way better than the alternatives.

I remember to this day our mother (a teacher) before we started our periods doing a role play with us about how to insist to the class teacher we had to leave the room to go to the lavatory. It was all about being insistent - I must go kind of thing so obviously even 30 years ago it was an issue in secondary schools. I can understand school rules as huge numbers of teenagers want to go in and out and mess around and every single interruption disrupts the whole lesson.

granny it's very clear from her posts that mum is using break times to chat to the students - you know, the breaks they need to use the toilet. Since the lecture is free and in mum's own time, unpaid, you would be pretty unreasonable to be cross in any case.

In nearly 20 years of teaching I have never had someone wet or soil themselves. My school has a no toilet rule but allows teachers discretion. This has been an unfortunate and horrific incident for the poor girl and I bet the teacher feels mortified too.

I have been vomited on twice though (without pupils asking to go to the toilet).

Changing tampons at the reccomended time is all very well, but what happens if you flood? Not everyone's periods are as predictable as that. Teenage girls getting to grips with their periods (which are unpredictable in the first year or two) might not know their body well enough yet to know exactly how long is safe for them not to leak - and this might change month to month.

I don't see how a desperate teenage girl having to hide under a desk to remove a tampon can be excused.

Trifle I don't disagree with your comments about not having a free-for-all toilet access policy, but I am just that you've evidently never once in your life had diarrhoea, and don't even seem to know it's a thing. You've really never had, or heard of, sudden loose bowels? Food poisoning, food allergies, norovirus, just a dodgy tum for some other reason? I promise it happens to everyone (except you, apparently) a handful of times in their life.

I really, really doubt this was a normal poo that the child had somehow just neglected

TBH I think it is disgraceful - transfer this policy to the workplace - adults being refused the opportunity to use the toilet.

Sports Direct? Allegedly

Back to the event the OP described- I wonder if the DC concerned has a fear of going to the toilet when others are around, or of using school toilets unless they cannot hold on any longer? Could be bullying, could be the condition of the toilets.

Teachers aren't allowed, Forall. If Ofsted witnessed you leave a class unsupervised, they would fail the lesson.

Well it is what happens with teachers, and perhaps as they have to manage their toilet needs at break times (or the odd mad rush between classes) they may be less sympathetic to those who would rather waste five minutes of their lesson time than five minutes of lunch time. Endless cries of "but I didn't need at lunch!" Illness aside, you don't go from "didn't need" to "absolutely bursting" in 15 minutes.

I worry about this issue but don't know what the answer is. I'm a HCP. Sometimes I teach adults. They are free to go to the toilet whenever they want of course.

As a HCP I was asked to speak to a reception class a few years ago about being 'healthy'. Specifically I was asked to emphasise the need to drink water throughout the day and that the children should drink from their water bottles in school. I queried this a couple of times as knew this would lead to questions about what happens to the water, wee and toilet requests. Sure enough, a child asked to go to the toilet. He was told no, wait a few minutes and he could go soon. When I left 20 mins after that he had still not been allowed to go despite asking 3 more times. He was 4 at the time . He didn't wet himself but this is not good for bladder health. I didn't want to be 'that parent' so never raised the issue with the teachers but always regretted not doing so. I was there to talk about urinary health FFS.

Just to explain he did seem well in himself otherwise of course I would have said something as a HCP!

It's been interesting reading this and at times I've actually laughed at some posts (which are clearly by non teachers)

The reality of secondary schools/students has been pointed out numerous times so I'm not going to repeat it but I will add that like PP have said in nearly 20 years of teaching under numerous different policies regarding toilets I have never had any accident happen in any of my lessons

My god poor child! It surely has happened to us all at some point, medical condition or no medical condition, when you've got to go you've got to go and there's not much time for hanging about. Poor kid