To think secondary schools should not have unisex toilets?

[seriouslylong]

So my daughter started secondary school this year in a temporary sight and yesterday moved to the permanent sight. She came home and told me they only have unisex toilets in the school

I looked on a local Facebook page this morning and there was a parent on there asking for opinions.

I don't think boys and girls should have to share a toilet! They need their privacy at this age!

What are your thoughts? Also would be interested to hear if your children have unisex toilets at school?

As an adult I don't think it would bother me.

As a teenager I would have hated it. Particularly when I was having my period as in those days I used pads with a sticky strip and the ones I had always made a noise when you ripped the cover off and I would be extremely embarrassed in case anyone heard me and knew what I was doing!

Are they single use though?

Are they single one-door toilets? Or a whole row of cubicles shared?

I really don’t see why people have such an issue with it. It’s a toilet, the stall is enclosed so what’s the problem?

Don't know if it was here or on Twitter but I was reading yesterday about boys finding it hilarious to unlock cubicles girls were in from the outside. Like 5foot5, I can't say that the notion of unisex toilets bothers me particularly, but I'm not being asked to share with PITA teenage boys trying to amuse their mates, discounting any more sinister intent.

I think unisex toilets are OK if they're fully enclosed so no one can hear what you're doing

If it’s like my old school, boys can stand on the loo next door and take photos of who we is in the cubicle next door. Yes this would bother me.

I would have hated that as a teenager. God no. Boys were gropey and grabby enough, without being able to push you into a cubicle and lock themselves in with you. Jeez.

I would find using a cubicle with a man or teenage boy in the room humiliating as an adult let alone as a teenage girl

I don’t like them for teens. Girls should have a space where they can remove themselves from boys and visa versa. I’ve passed STs under cubicle doors for distressed girls before as a duty teacher.

YANBU. I dislike mixed sex toilets as an adult...I would probably never have gone to the loo in school if we’d had mixed sex toilets then.

I generally don't like them. We had enclosed ones at my old work. You could still hear (and smell) everything. Would just rather not share those details with a man.

Working in a secondary school I think unisex toilets are fine if they open straight onto the corridor and aren’t a set of toilets within a room behind a closed door. Our toilets at school are split boy girl, but are back to back and all open out onto the corridor with shared sinks. When I was at school we had enclosed toilets with two doors to get the the actual room. Lots of bullying and smoking took place in them, and they were just girls toilets.

I am on the thread in question - it's a local school to me. I have huge issues with this - the set up appears to be fully enclosed cubicles, girls on one side, boys on another, with shared washing facilities in the middle. Elsewhere the toilets are unisex. There are no single sex fully enclosed toilets in the school.

I am livid about this and I will be ringing the school later to express my views as DD could well become a pupil here. I bet your bottom dollar when I ask about the risk assessment done, there won't be one.

There are toilets on each floor at the ends of the corridors which are completely unisex and in the middle of each floor toilets with boys to one side and girls to the other side with shared sinks!

The toilets are floor to ceiling so boys can't peak over the top of the door but I still don't think it's right!

I just don't think this is appropriate especially for young girls that have just started their period and wang privacy

only this week I got blood on my hands changing my pad. I cannot imagine how mortified I would have felt at 11 or 12 having to walk out and wash my hands with sniggering boys standing by.

Riviertam - we crossed posts but yes the toilets are as you described and no completely single sex toilets in the school!

I can imagine a lot of girls not wanting to use the toilets and holding it in which will cause them health problems

I would be OK if each cubicle has its own sink and they open to a visible corridor.
Not OK if boys & girls are sharing the sinks, due to rinsing knickers / washing blood etc.
Also think there should be a space for girls to go and cry or whatever without boys being around.

I agree unisex toilets are completely unacceptable for adults, and for children at school it's horrific. I remember what a mess I used to get in when I first started my periods and in this situation I would have had to wash my hands in the toilet water I think rather than going out of the toilet with blood stained hands. If there was any possibility of boys being there. I also would find it incredibly awkward to actually do my business with a boy possibly next door to me.

At school the girls toilets is where we would go if we were upset, or to get away from boys pestering us. It was a place where we could go with a friend to have a good cry and comfort each other.

Also I’ve always had heavy periods, and bloody hands isn’t unusual.

I hate unisex toilets as an adult, so I sure would’ve hated them as a teenager.

Is there nowhere girls and women are allowed to be without male company nowadays? Seems not.

And, DS is starting secondary next year. He hates unisex toilets.

If cubicles are enclosed, have sinks in and are open to the corridors, then OK. Otherwise, no.

Think of what periods like during those years, blood on your hands, trying to open the packaging so nobody could hear, getting the tampax angle right, etc!

Self contained toilets with a sink and no little sods-boys or girls peering under cubicle doors.

A had quite a few lad mates at school who didn’t just use the toilets for when nature calls but to alleviate themselves when the urge struck!
No chance, new bodies requires privacy

Our schools have been having visitors talking to the pupils about their needs. The conclusion is to have separate girls boys loos. Plus a unisex/disabled loo to cover anyone who requires more privacy. Everyone is happy with that.

Why the hell are schools and businesses making the switch to unisex? Who has said they want this? I bet they haven’t even asked, let alone done an IEA.

Seems they’re spending thousands creating something that almost nobody wants, nobody has asked for, and if it’s questioned they get on the defensive. I thought schools were skint, so why?