to think this school policy is really odd?

[Oakmaiden]

My daughter is 16. Her school have just implemented a new toilet policy. If you wish to go to the toilet you have to go in 2 minutes, and you have to be chaperoned to and from the toilet by a senior member of staff.

I just think this is really odd. From my daughter's point of view she has food intolerances and sometimes it can take her a fair while on the loo if her tummy is unsettled (just to add, as a general rule she will avoid going to the toilet at school at all, if she can possibly manage it). But even without that, as she has said, she doesn't want to have to go to and from the toilet with an adult, or to discuss her toileting needs with anyone.

I do get that toilets in secondary schools are an ENORMOUS problem, but this just seems a totally bizarre way of managing it.

Not to forget - you now have the headteacher accompanying children to the toilet. Surely she has better things to do?

I don't know - am I wrong to think this is a very strange, and not quite right, policy?

Wow, I now realise how lucky we were at school. I went to an all girls' school, lots of toilets, mostly reasonable on the cleanliness front, functional and safe. There was an occasional smell of smoke but nothing too untoward.
I'm now starting to worry as to what goes on at DDs school, which has recently become mixed. She hasn't mentioned any issues but she was put off choosing a different school by the toilets having a broken door and looking run down.
I think CCTV in the corridor or sink area going through to an office would make most sense, if anything was going on, staff would see and be able to get there quite quickly, plus the CCTV might put anyone off trying anything dodgy if they knew there was video evidence. You could have several toilet blocks being monitored by a single attendant.

Surely this must be against human rights somewhere. The right to privacy. I get that kids muck about but in a secondary school sometime soon the toilets are nowhere near where you are changing classrooms so you can’t nip in.

If a child wet themselves due to being told no then that is a serious safeguarding issue and that kid would be bullied.

I’m a primary teacher myself and occasionally I have a get a TA to cover as I have to go as I have IBS or you feel Lady Luck appear in your knickers.

Drives me insane that my y3 class come in from break and then need the toilet, I yell at them but let them go.

I think you are on some solid legal ground to challenge this

The school must be dealing with some serious piss takers if they're having to do this.

"Solution is to monitor the toilets with an attendant not the individual pupils."

I'm sure there'll be loads of applicants for the advertised position of 'secondary school toilet attendant, stand outside them for six and a half hours, minimum wage, won't be needed in a few weeks/months once we've sorted out the issue.'

"And no girl should have to disclose private information."

Of course not. And they don't. They put up their hand and ask to go to the toilet, just like they do right now in every school in the world, but someone walks them there.

"I think CCTV in the corridor or sink area going through to an office would make most sense,"

I agree. I suspect this is an immediate response to a specific issue and won't last more than a few weeks.

"Surely this must be against human rights somewhere."

It isn't.

"The right to privacy."

It is private.

"If a child wet themselves due to being told no."

They're being escorted, not denied access to a toilet.

I have some sympathy with the school. If there has been bullying or criminal activity in the toilets (maybe drugs?) then they are trying to address. I would rather this approach than a child being targeted by bullies or sold drugs.

@letmeinthroughyourwindow your entire argument rests on the concept that teachers always grant toilet access without any quibble. IME it usually went like this:

Kid- sir can i go to the loo
Teacher- no you should have gone before class
Kid- i really need to go sir
Teacher- should have thought of that before
Kid- sir I'm bleeding through my pad i need to go now
Teacher- ...
Class- ~hysterical laughter~
Kid- ~utter humiliation~

Also you fail to take into account how reluctant a teacher might be to call SLT away to toilet duty, and how long it might take to get someone to the classroom to do escort duty.

If your daughter has bowel issues, this will be on her school notes. Most schools give students like this a toilet pass for no questions toilet breaks. If not, suggest it to the school.

I still think that, although children with medical issues or conditions clearly need free access, I don't think it's quite that black and white that the other kids won't ever get caught short or need to go suddenly.

Apart from anything else, as we've already said: periods. Do you give a free pass to ALL girls, thus drawing more attention to their personal requirements and causing the boys to feel resentful; or to NONE of them who don't also have other toilet-related conditions, thus discriminating against girls for being girls?

"your entire argument rests on the concept that teachers always grant toilet access without any quibble."

They could say no before the new policy, so nothing has changed in that regard.

And thank you for your graphic trip down memory lane but it is irrelevant.

"Also you fail to take into account how reluctant a teacher might be to call SLT away to toilet duty, and how long it might take to get someone to the classroom to do escort duty."

It's something they'll have to suck up until the issue is addressed or other more sustainable measures can be put in place.

Yeah sounds like some kids have been snorting their parents coke in the loos.

@letmeinthroughyourwindow

How would you feel if you had to call your boss every time you needed to use the facilities? Then be escorted and then be timed for two minutes.

I can’t manage a dump and clean up in two minutes and I have IBS so maybe when it’s loose ok but when I’m constipated not a chance.

I wouldn't mind if the alternative was getting my head kicked in, being offered drugs, walking in on someone having sex, walking in on a group of pissed teenagers, being verbally or physically assaulted.

I think I'd also appreciate that the teachers had lots of other things to do, but wanted to keep me safe.