Primary school toilets look like this

[SwordToFlamethrower]

My daughter is 9. God forbid she is one of the girls who start their period young. Not sure how girls age 9 to 11 at primary school are meant to manage their first ever periods with no privacy or dignity when they have to wash their blood soaked hands. The toilet area is open plan too, so anyone walking by can see right in. I took these photos on my way to a "meet the teacher" meeting today. I don't know if the school have checked the law on single sex toilets when they implemented this. I don't even know where to begin. I've been asked to leave it because it's not worth having a row with the school, seeing as they're underfunded as it is. AIBU to say "tough!" What should I do?

When I was at high school girls were bullied almost exclusively by other girls. Exactly so, which is a big reason why schools had to try and open up the toilet area - to get rid of a fairly hidden place where bullies could operate.

I started my periods in primary at age 10 and I’d have been mortified at sharing sinks with boys. For all the people saying ‘blood on the hands is dramatic’ I quite often had blood on my hands as a young child trying to cope with bleeding and pads. And even now, a period can cause me to leak through a tampon AND pad in just two hours and I sometimes have blood on my hands, even though I’m a very careful person.

There are hundreds of places in schools kids could bully other kids I doubt opening up the toilets makes the blindest bit of difference

Why are people pretending this is what public/office/work toilets are like? They arent

Sexually harassed doesn’t mean listened for rustling to see who was on their period though does it?

There are hundreds of places in schools kids could bully other kids I doubt opening up the toilets makes the blindest bit of difference I can't think of any places where the staff, particularly opposite sex staff, don't go?

Blood soaked hands is NOT over the top- my periods are heavy (and were when I was at school). Changing a tampon leaves me with very bloody hands. A bit of loo roll is not enough to wipe it off- sometimes I look like I’ve committed a murder!!

washing facilities are essential for boys and girls over the age of 8.. Toilet facilities, not washing facilities.

Kids aren't stuoid. They pretty quickly work out where no one goes or wjere there are no cameras etc not that they jeed too tbh it often is right under the staff noses and they dont do anything

Tammy- no, they haven't. But then there are sinks outside where I can wash my hands. I haven't been many (any) places where there are sinks both in the cubicle and out. With the design of these toilets, from the photo, they exit cubicle, wash their hands, and then they don't even need to touch a door handle to leave the washroom.

The law is pretty clear on there being private washing facilities for children over the age of 9. It's it the attached picture along with the other two.

For posters asking about having self contained toilets - with a sink inside the cubicle - I'm sure this is much the preferred option but the cost would be prohibitive I should think. Given the schools that I know ration printer paper,pens and exercise books I just don't think the money is available to re build all toilets. You don't need as many washbasins as toilets either so providing one per cubicle is more hand basins than you actually need. It's all compromise isn't it?

Sexually harassed doesn’t mean listened for rustling to see who was on their period though does it? Maybe it was just my school but the boys were really sneaky, they'd find any weakness to get you with and I can absolutely see the rustling of towels being something used against you. We had separate changing rooms, one of the boys burst in and started a rumour I stuffed my bra with toilet roll. Ridiculous things like that. I do hope things have changed 10 years later but I would not be comfortable at all in a shared space and would be using the disabled facility to change towel/ tampton, shit and fart.

Do the people who post links to the iss and school regulations acts etc in favour of separate toilets actually read them or take the time to understand them? Cos I don't think they say what you think they say...

I don't know about blood soaked hands but admittedly I've had blood soaked clothing I've had to rinse in the sinks and put under the hand drier!

Periods aside, I hate communal bathrooms. And open like that? It's hard enough for me to pee in a cubicle inside a room never mind in a cubicle open to a hallway. I'd really struggle to go.

I am concerned that some schools are allowing children to use the teachers toilets. As a teacher I do not want to go to the loo and find a child in there.

You sound like a drama lama, creating an issue that doesnt exist . What do your really expect the school to do, spend Thier very small budget upgrading the toilets just incase your daughter happens to get her first period at school....If you suspect your daughter is going to start her periods early, then you need to prepare her , so when it does she won't be shocked or traumatised.

This is the normal design to reduce bullying, schools usually have a self contained disabled toilet that any kids with specific needs can use, I suspect periods at primary school would be a good reason

Or they could just build them properly to start with

Toilet and washing facilities
4.—(1) Subject to paragraph (3), suitable toilet and washing facilities must be provided for the sole use of pupils.

(2) Separate toilet facilities for boys and girls aged 8 years or over must be provided except where the toilet facility is provided in a room that can be secured from the inside and that is intended for use by one pupil at a time.

(3) Where separate facilities are provided under paragraph (1) for pupils who are disabled, they may also be used by other pupils, teachers and others employed at the school, and visitors, whether or not they are disabled.

(4) Suitable changing accommodation and showers must be provided for pupils aged 11 years or over at the start of the school year who receive physical education.
This is from www.legislation.gov.uk school premises. You don't need separate washing facilities.

I don’t think that’s legal. I could be wrong but if the sinks were inside the cubicles I think it would pass as separation but from at least age 8 I believe by law they must be seperate. Girls start periods early now days and I know for a fact my DD would be horribly uncomfortable using toilets with boys crackling away at sanitary wrappers and washing hands that may get messy- maybe not as easy when your only year 5.also the boys need privacy. Surely this isn’t the only toilet room they have in the entire school, and if it isn’t then all they have to do is take half the signs down and switch them to create a girls loo and a boys loo. Not really a massive dent in the budget. I know what you are saying re having a row, and the school being underfunded but that’s not right. I’d put it to them nicely that it’s not nurturing at all for the girls, and it’s not fair on either sex, and I’d be explicit about why.

People are getting distracted by the blood soaked hands thing. It’s actually not that relevant. Girls and boys have a legal right to sex segregated places. If you have to ask why, I suspect you are either being disingenuous or you lack imagination. Even if you were a pre teen who was totally confident and felt just fine about going to the toilet in close proximity to the opposite sex, it’s not hard to imagine that many are not. I remember girls being embarrassed to peel their pad off as it made a loud noise and other girls could hear.

And no the disabled toilet woykd be for children who needed it not kids on their period who can't use the regular toilets due to shitty design and a lack of thought

This design, with no enclosed areas has proven to considerably reduce the bullying that used to go on in toilets in schools up and down the country. The point is, apart from when you are in the cubible, when you have complete privacy, there are no hidden areas that any passing member of staff / prefect can't see, which prevents the 'gang' style bullying that used to happen too much in too many schools.Quite frankly, I am FAR more concerned that a member of the public is able to wander through the school taking photographs, and that you think it is ok so to do.

I am a teacher and our toilets are like this. To make it worse, staff have to share them too!