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Original poster

No toilets at sports day.. anyone else find this weird?

80 replies

Islalouisa92 · 02/07/2019 23:36

Okay so maybe just me but does anyone else find this odd? Little ones sports day coming up, weather forecast says it’s to be HOT. Sports day lasts approx 2.5 hours. Due to the weather I certainly will be drinking lots and assume everyone else will be. A letter has be sent out to say no parents/siblings etc will be allowed access to the school for toilets. Anyone else find this odd? There is NO public toilets within walking distance either and I don’t want to have to keep hopping in the car to drive ten mins to the nearest supermarket every time my 3 year old needs a wee! 🤔 in my history of attending my children’s sports days I have never ever come across this problem 😂

OP posts:
Topseyt · 03/07/2019 02:15

It seems like madness to me. I would be another who can find it problematic to wait.

I wonder if it is possibly a supervision issue? Perhaps in the past they have had parents failing to adequately supervise their toddlers and preschoolers, so the toilets are left in a horrible mess.

I still think though that saying no toilet facilities to be available at all is also a recipe for trouble when inviting large numbers of parents and family members in to watch an event. Are they actually allowed to do that anyway?

HellYeah90s · 03/07/2019 02:18

I might be thick but how is not having loos opening a safeguarding issue?

What about those with IBS? Toddlers?

Absolutely ridiculous, I would be asking the staff tbh.

lyralalala · 03/07/2019 02:25

I might be thick but how is not having loos opening a safeguarding issue?

If they allow the kids in and out to the toilets then they don’t want parents/grannies etc in and out as well.

Also if the majority of staff are outside they don’t want people wandering round the school where there are laptops, equipment, teachers coats etc

snitzelvoncrumb · 03/07/2019 03:09

Put a potty in your car for the toddler.

Pinkwink · 03/07/2019 03:15

I’ve never needed the loo during a sports day event and I’ve been to plenty. Having said that, parents are always allowed to use the loo at my DC’s school. I know some Mum’s even take their toddlers to use the loo at pick up time!

HellYeah90s · 03/07/2019 03:27

Thanks @lyralalala

Maybe the school should invest in portaloos if they can't provide adequate facilities.

NerrSnerr · 03/07/2019 03:37

They wrote the same letter for my daughter's sports day this year. It was only infants sports day so juniors were still in the school as normal so they didn't want random adults in the school. After someone asked they said if someone was in desperate need they'd escort them but didn't have the staff to be constantly going in and out.

lyralalala · 03/07/2019 03:44

Maybe the school should invest in portaloos if they can't provide adequate facilities.

Many schools don’t even have money for glue sticks and photocopying at this point in the year never mind portaloos for parents at sports day.

myself2020 · 03/07/2019 06:31

from experience I would assume that after the last sportsday/event with the school
ipen and no staff to supervise things got missing and classrooms messed up by parents and siblings... they can’t really put in the newslette “ due to some parents being thiefs and generally idiots , everybody has to suffer now”

Sirzy · 03/07/2019 06:42

Which staff member is going to take them in and out?

I would hope an exception would be made for those who really can’t wait but on the whole I don’t have an issue with it. They can’t just let people walk in and out of schools and won’t have spare staff to be escorting everyone in.

Iamnotthe1 · 03/07/2019 06:43

This will be because of safeguarding.

Adults who are not employed by the school should not be allowed inside the building without signing in and being escorted around and/or monitored by a school employee. This includes parents. If something were to happen as a result of the school giving adults access to the building and the children then the school would be found in serious breach of their duty to safeguard the pupils.

Roomba · 03/07/2019 06:48

Our sports days is today and there's never any toilets there for parents or pupils. That's because the school only has a concrete playground, so sports day is held in a field up the road. No toilets there at all. The children are all made to go before it starts and if they need to go during the event (1.5 hrs tops) a TA or teacher will escort them back down the road and into school. Parents/siblings have to find another solution as there's not enough staff to be escorting people into the school. Plus it's not allowed anyway even during in school events like Xmas concerts - due to safeguarding rules. Other KS groups are still in the building so it's a massive risk having adults going into the school loos without supervision.

Never had an issue personally in 10 years of having kids at the school (even when taking toddler siblings along). We've somehow managed never to be desperate for the loo during the event, no idea how, so never thought about it much!

transformandriseup · 03/07/2019 06:56

Come to think of it, i don’t think the toilets were open for parents at my primary sports day either or any event really, unless it was an event where the rest of the school was shut ie. school play in the hall with toilets outside the main doors. Even then the corridor to the classrooms was cordoned off. It wasn’t open for parents at football matches either which I often took part in and lasted a couple of hours after school.

Mind you back then most people lived in walking distance of the school.

Where is your car parked? Could you not keep a potty in the boot and take your toddler or to the car. Or just let them have a quick wee in the hedge if you are able to?

h0rsewithn0name · 03/07/2019 07:06

It will be a security issue. We have had a staff purse and a laptop stolen at two seperate sports days. The only solution is for a member of staff to stand outside the toilets for the whole event and ensure all visitors exit the building empty handed. Sad but true.

Having said that, they are trying to minimise the number of people needed the loo by saying this. If half a dozen people go to the office and ask to be escorted to the toilet, then the office staff will do this.

RedSheep73 · 03/07/2019 07:24

That would be a problem for me, let alone the kids! they've always let us use the loos at ours, but the staff ones are in the lobby outside the main locked door so I suppose it isn't such a risk.

hanvicteacher · 03/07/2019 07:33

It is as a pp said, they don't want random adults roaming the school with staff outside.

The kids participating will probably be told the same

IgotApositive · 03/07/2019 07:38

I've never been allowed into the school toilets during sports day. Didn't even realise this was an issue

DaisiesAreOurSilver · 03/07/2019 07:41

This has been the case since I started teaching in the70s. Safeguarding and security. Can't have random adults wandering around the school. Doors were locked.

Frazzled2207 · 03/07/2019 07:54

We've had no such letter but thinking about it couldn't have accessed the school during sports day as all staff were on the field.

Didn't give it a second thought. Though in an emergency i suspect we would have been let in.

Pinkyyy · 03/07/2019 08:00

Wild wees for 3 year olds are perfectly acceptable surely

Are you suggesting pissing in a bush? No way, my children are not dossers.

hanvicteacher · 03/07/2019 08:00

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babysharkah · 03/07/2019 08:02

Dts school had portaloos in for the adults. Same at the summer fete. Safeguarding.

Robotics · 03/07/2019 08:07

I understand the safeguarding issue, and the theft issue. But it is annoying in that if you've got a young one with you or you are pregnant, especially if you don't have a car and walk to the school. When I was pregnant I couldn't have gone 2.5 hours without a wee (that's without travel time and getting there early/ leaving late waiting for kids). I know that's not the schools issue but I would have genuinely wet myself

NavyBerry · 03/07/2019 08:09

This is ridiculous. A medical condition, a pregnancy, an early age, a heavy period all these can be a reason to go to the loo more often than every 2 hours. Include driving to and from the place. It's a basic respect to people. Cannot allow access to the loos, don't organise anything.

hanvicteacher · 03/07/2019 08:10

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