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!

That's horrendous. I would make a formal complaint.

I will teach my dc just to walk out ultimately. It is a basic human right.

Ridiculous.

I work with 12-16 children who have been temporarily excluded, usually for behavioural issues. I wouldn't dream of not letting them go to the toilet. They are always expected to ask as we need to know where they are (risk of absconding), but the answer is always yes, unless several ask to go in quick succession when its clear they want to muck about. I think its obvious whether the child is genuine or not.

We weren't 'allowed' to go to the loo during lesson time.

My mother told me if I really needed it to just go so i did. Unfortunately some other kids did not have the support of their parents to use the toilet whenever desperate (and apparently, were terrified of our maths teacher, as it was always his class...) and over the 4 years we were there 3 kids actually pissed themselves in class. And one shat himself.

Fuck that stupid rule tbh

It is a basic human right

This

Thee are plenty of reasons why someone would suddenly NEED THE TOILET JUST RIGHT NOW. And it doesn't have to be a medically recognised condition.
It could be just that the child is extremely stressed out for example. Or has a bout of IBS. Or is developping a tummy bug and it is THE FIRST TIME he suddenly needs to rush to the loo (doesn't always happen at home and there is now a strong pressure to go to school no matter what, incl when feeling slightly unwell)

Regardless of the reason WHY it happened (and. Pearly the need to go to the loo was a real need, not just a teenager playing up), the leastvthat could have happened is for the teacher to apologise to the teenager and his parents.
I would also except something from the school to avoid ny other issue like this happening again. Not to that teenager and not to any other teenager.

I try to use my discretion in an emergency as I have said, but the problem with doing that is you get the calls of "not fair!" from students when you say no to them. They tend to think me having discretion equates to them having discretion. Their parents often think the same. I don't mind as much having the argument with 11 year olds but I do mind very much having that debate with their parents on the phone after school I refuse to engage with it: the policy is not without a medical pass, so please go to the Head if you have an issue, is what I tend to say.

And should they miss something are you expecting the teacher to help them catch up?
It's very disruptive to other children. Yes people have medical needs but they are not that prevalent compared to the normal school population.

Like teachers have said, it's not one going to the loo, quietly, it's a succession. Six, seven, one after another. Like a tag team. often in an attempt to disrupt.

Headofhives I think you are being deliberately goady. Even in a work situation, if it meant the person was going to soil themselves, I am sure they would make a quick exit to the toilet. When I was at work, I would need to make a sudden dash to the toilet, on occasion.

headofthehive so a teenager like me whose cycle varied from 25-40 days or so should wear a pad "just in case" for 15 days? That's pretty silly. Why not just have pads and be able to pop to the loo as the period arrives?

The idea of having to make up time at break time is a very good one. Stops the ones that are trying it whikst allowing the ones who do need to go to go.

I am really surprised that there are any teachers left who want to bother with other people's kids!

I totally agree Greenpapers, yes access to a toilet is a basic human right!!!

So kids should have adult nappies on, so they can go in situ if they need to go to the toilet quickly.

The teacher was carrying out the school's policy, so she's not to blame. It's a ridiculous rule and DCs should be given passes for emergencies. Unfortunately many schools lock the toilets during lesson time and she may not have been able to access a toilet even if the teacher had let her out.

There aren't always toilets easily available. What do you do then?
I think allowing to go a break etc is adequate unless a medical need.

I haven't read all the replies but I don't think you can necessarily blame the teacher, especially if it is the schools policy. I'm a secondary teacher and where I work we aren't allowed to let children leave the classroom to go to the toilet unless they have a toilet pass. To the point where members of SLT will stand at the toilets and quiz the child about who's class they have left and we will then be spoken to about letting the child out when we shouldn't have done. Now I think this is ridiculous, I use a policy of telling them to ask me again in 10 minutes. If they do then they genuinely need to go and I let them (regardless of the schools policy) if they don't ask me again, which happens a lot, they obviously aren't that desperate and they forget.

As I say there are many other situations where a toilet isn't easily available.

To be honest even if know they are asking to go to the toilet just to have a few minutes time out from something they are finding boring or difficult I don't mind. It is a human right, and they are going to be autonomous adults soon. The rest of the time they are expected to work very hard on challenging creative activities. The focus is on them getting projects completed on time. We use first names for the staff and volunteers.There again they are not in a classroom- it is a professional art studio. They listen to classic FM, and have tea breaks. And work very hard.

I'm actually having this argument at dds school at the moment. I think it's an absolutely ridiculous policy. If you need the loo, you need the loo. There's actually teachers blocking the loos there. Can't lock the doors as the loos are now open plan since they saw fit to get rid of the doors!! I would be absolutely livid and raising holy hell if I was your friend. Poor child.

There should be, the should be an open toilet easily accessible if a student needs it. Unless you have been in the position of soiling yourself in class as you weren't allowed out, you don't know. Even over 36 years later, its still humiliating, everyone watching and making fun of you. That poor boy , even worse if your a teen.

This happened to me aged 13.

I put my hand up to go to the toilet as I had a nervous stomach, later diagnosed as IBS. Teacher refused. I had an accident right there in class. Whole class laughed at me and bullied me for the rest of my school life.

I went from a straight A student to failing all my GCE's as I refused to go to school. Had a visit from EWO. Still refused to go. Went from going to University to working in a shop. Whole life changed. I am still in therapy now. Avoided all my friends as they saw what happened.

That teacher fucked my whole life up.

Why should the teacher give up her break time to supervise? She might want the loo?

I would LOVE some of the parents who comment on here, who no doubt love their children, bring them up well and want them to have a good education, to shadow their DCs for a week at school, like flies on the wall. I would love them to count the minutes, hours, and ultimately years, of their child's education wasted in endless disruption of lessons. Requests to go to the toilet are just the start of it. I would bet my house half would run screaming and the other half would be begging to firm up school rules so people could stop wasting their DCs' bloody time!

These same children are trashing the loos though. So ones with medical needs can't use them....

I'm so glad we have sensible intelligent teachers and not the goady fuckers on here.