Gender neutral toilets in Primary School

[Nanodust]

So a recent visit to a new school that has opened also included confirmation that it will be the last Primary School to have gender segregated toilets.

All new Primary schools in the area will be ‘unisex’ (gender neutral) as described by Head.

Thoughts on this? I’m not against gender neutral toilets, I am indifferent as a toilet is a toilet. However for younger kids it’s sometimes the only place to get some headspace etc. I wonder how it will all go....

It depends how they're implemented. If they are individual toilets with floor to ceiling doors, each with a handwash basin and sanitary waste bin, opening onto a corridor or other open area, then fine. If they've just relabelled all the existing toilets as "unisex" then not fine.

We never had separate toilets in primary school. It must be a new thing? Glad people are realising it’s a bit silly. I can’t see the need when each cubicle is private anyway.

It's fine because they are all individual cubicles rather than rooms with stalls in.

I don't want boys going into the girls room with stalls in (I don't care what they call themselves this week)
But single toilet cubicles, which is the case in my DCs school, are fine

My sister's secondary school had gender neutral toilets. They had floor to ceiling doors and they opened out onto the sinks but there was no door on the opening to the toilets so everyone could see in.

The primary school my DC went to had unisex toilets, I don't see a problem. No one used them for headspace, the children are only allowed to go in when they need to use the toilets or sinks.

Ah okay, didn’t realise they would be designed like that. I thought it would be the same design as currently

Primary school children jawing toilets for headspace? You mean to skive off a lesson that they're finding a bit dull?!

If floor to ceiling doors then fine, why not?

'Jawing'?! That was meant to be 'using'.

I think one day we'll look at gender segregated toilets the same way as we now look at gender segregated entrances

Floor to ceiling doors are a bad idea for young children - speaking as someone who has vivid memories of not being able to undo a dodgy catch on the door age 6 and having another child crawl under to rescue me!

Toilets are sex segregated, not gender segregated. Would you say the same about changing rooms, hospital wards, refuges and so on, @Toffeelatteplease? Or are they different to toilets in this regard?

They are not floor to ceiling in my kids school
But that's okay because if anyone tried to look under the whole hallway would see them (unlike in a "bathroom" that has non floor length doors IYKWIM)

@LemonScentedStickyBat it must be within the capabilities of toilet door lock designers to create a lock that can be opened from outside by an adult in an emergency?

I think one day we'll look at gender segregated toilets the same way as we now look at gender segregated entrances

No we won't cause they're opposites
Taking away women's spaces is misogynistic

But. Little boys don't have very good aim. Why should the girls have to sit on seats covered in wee?

Would you say the same about changing rooms, hospital wards, refuges and so on, @Toffeelatteplease? Or are they different to toilets in this regard?

Yes definitely, yes and no, no. But those are different debates...

In my infants school the toilets were for girls and boys, in juniors they were separate and the boys had a urinal. No pee on toilet seats!

Mammamie I have had more issues in "ladies" toilets with girks/ women who were taught to "hover" with having to wipe someone's wee before I sit than I ever have had sharing individual toilets with boys/men...

My primary just has toilets, other than the school hall.

I genuinely hadn't thought about this fact until reading this thread.

Got to say I reallly don't care!

I think as a society all toilets should be self enclosed and unisex. Not because of a bullshit trans movement but just because it makes sense, particularly with the increase in single fathers struggling to take young daughters to a loo that doesn't have urinals!

Why, @Toffeelatteplease? You seem to be suggesting that sex segregation is generally a bad thing, and old-fashioned. Why does the circumstance matter?

Why are unisex hospital wards a good thing, especially when the NHS is supposed to be committed to minimising and removing them where possible?

I wonder how many primary school children have been asked what they'd prefer?

I asked my dd and ds and they both said they wanted separate boys and girls.

You seem to be suggesting that sex segregation is generally a bad thing, and old-fashioned.

Yes

Why are unisex hospital wards a good thing, especially when the NHS is supposed to be committed to minimising and removing them where possible?

Again a different debate but out of respect to those who would delay treatment rather than be on a unisex ward. I think the time will come but not yet.

@Toffeelatteplease you think hospital wards should be mixed gender?

A lot of sexual assaults happen in hospitals, particularly psychiatric units.