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?

It’s a new policy. I would imagine in response to an incident. I really don’t think it’s true that your daughter would definitely know if something had happened.

I reckon as its the SLT team and the head who are accompanying something serious must have occured, I can't see them giving up their time otherwise.

That doesn't make it a good policy though. The queues for the toilets were often ridiculous when I was at school, and sometimes could take up most of your break. Surely this would only make that worse? It'll lead to the children dehydrating themselves to avoid needing the toilet at school at all - I know several who've done this before.

Our school have implemented a similar ridiculous toilet policy just before Christmas. It’s caused enormous stress to my DD and the queue for the one single block of girls toilets is now often so long that she doesn’t get to go even if she queues for her entire lunch break. During her period this is completely unacceptable. There are 1500 children so approx 750 girls, only 2 are allowed in at any time (so the other 4 toilets are free but unavailable) and a teacher stands in the block at all times.
There was some incidents of bullying (in the boys toilets) which preceded this policy. It is however the girls who seem to have been negatively impacted the most.

I was thinking either new head or something happened.

I can see why they don't want chlidren being out of lessons - but to have them locked with time limit in break and lunch time is really odd.

I'd have hated it - long bus ride in and out of school plus heavy periods would have been a nightmare.

So when are kids supposed to go? In my day breaks and lunchtimes were when we had go. (Sometimes between lessons if we were desperate and not too far from a loo).

This is not only bizarre but I think they are on very dodgy ground.

(And what do they do if someone takes longer than 2 minutes?)

I was at a school information meeting recently straight from work, used the pupil toilets and it took 5 cubicles before I could find one in reasonable condition to use. The school is only a year old so fittings wise it is perfect and you can tell they are cleaned and the mess that was there was just from today.

The first 5 had everything from not being flushed, full of used toilet paper, poo/blood or urine on the seats, wet and dry paper towels everywhere. Loo rolls unwound touching the ground. Who knows what on the walls (now I know why the staff member, made a ewww face when I asked if I could use the loo!)

Totally unacceptable and I can see why they would try to put in some policy to try to prevent it. I am sure staff don't want to be supervising toilet visits either! I wouldn't complain unless I could suggest an alternative solution. I would perhaps try to work with the school and send a note in saying she was a bit embarrassed regarding a medical issue which gives her occasional problems, and if possible could the supervisor wait outside in the corridor (I would hope they would do this anyway and not be in the toilet outside the cubicle) and give her the extra time she needs.

It’s probably much cheaper to install an electronic lock system for the cloakroom door. The Head/SLT seem to have nothing better to do. If they have concerns about bullying or safeguarding there is only one thing to do - deal with it. I totally object to other DC taking the flack for highly paid staff they don’t deal with behaviour issues. Instead, they effectively punish everyone else who just wants to use a loo! They are accountable for making sure DC are safe and this is not what is expected. They have to get to grips with the problem DC, if they have caused this policy.

5zeds You are right, of course. There are lots of things that could have happened that the children remain unaware of. And if that is the case, I will never be aware of them, as it isn't any of my business.

However, the toilet policies in this school have been odd for a while, in as much as the toilets are regularly locked so the children can't access them, or only one is open and you have to trail around the school trying to find out which one it is...

I don't know exactly. DD has talked about the toilets in school a fair bit, but generally I let it all wash over me... Today, though, I got a text from her (yes, from the middle of a lesson in a school in which phones are completely banned) saying she felt really ill and didn't know what to do. I suggested she went to the loo, or if it was bad enough talked to a member of staff about coming home. She said it wasn't bad enough to come home and she wasn't allowed to go the the toilet without a note (which I found on phoning the school was a simplification of the situation). She now says she would prefer to spend the day in pain rather than have a member of the SLT turn up in the classroom to "tell the whole class she needs a poo". She can be a bit of a drama llama, but it is still not very satisfactory...

Highly paid staff that don’t deal etc....

As I said, electronic locks and keys would help. Given to DC who medically need the loo in lesson time. They just excuse themselves and go. Or there is a separate loo in the medical room provided.

I think best bet after teh school clarifies the situation might be you approaching the shcool confidentiality about your DD situation and ask how it can be managed going forward without embarrassing her about the medical condition.

You'd have to tell DD - who may not want this - but would mean she wouldn't be left to cope with situation herself.

www.sec-ed.co.uk/best-practice/school-toilets-guidance-and-regulations/
I would suggest that perhaps raising the concern of your daughter having a disability which requires them to make adaptions also there is an interesting point about "passive" supervision by giving timing this is NOT passive & the chaperon has no right to dictate time taken in the toilet anymore than employers do to employees. I cant help but consider girls with heavy periods - I remember having sudden flooding & tummy aches & the need to pass urine more & on occasions bowel issues - the HT needs to be informed that these school rules are quite possible defying students human rights - I wonder if a complaint to OFSTED might be in order - if there is an issue with trashing loos etc than yes cctv facing the sink or external doors are in order (as long as the loos are not used for changing rooms, obviously, & they shouldn't be anyway) I am glad you are getting the exact rules op using them to fight this is absolutely right & I don't believe in being awkward for the sake of it>

Yep odd.
Although I agree that secondary school toilets can be a big problem.
I was in high school not that long ago (10 years ago) and the toilets were the go to place for crafty cigarette breaks, drug use, bullying and fights.
To combat it, a weird little foyer thing was built outside the actual toilets with cameras to monitor people going in and out, how long they were in there etc, sensitive smoke alarms were fitted and those weird blue lights that show up cocaine/amphetamine residue on surfaces were put in place.

This is why my DCs’ school has no exterior doors on the toilets - the separate toilet/basin areas for boys/girls are open to the main corridor with individual cubicles (no urinals). It’s not ideal for easily embarrassed girls who may be washing their hands after disastrous tampon changes in full view of the boys (and it’s definitely not mooncup friendly) but perhaps the best of bad options.

There are 1500 children so approx 750 girls, only 2 are allowed in at any time (so the other 4 toilets are free but unavailable)

Now THAT is mental! Why wouldn't they have a one-out-one-in policy?!

Having supervised access even at break times is mental. Just one TA on toilet duty should be sufficient to stop bullying, drug taking, vandalism, etc. Also the problem with leaving the toilets locked during the day is that urgent access can't always be predicted - who among us hasn't had to run to the loo at some point, at any age? There was a thread on here a while ago about a child denied loo access who had an accident, that kind of thing could be completely traumatising to an adult, let alone a teenager.

My children's secondary has same IHadADream - actually DS hates it much more than DD1 - though she has wipes and emergency period bag always with her anyway so perhaps avoids some of the problems.

I wouldn't like the set up as a teen though.

There may well have been a serious incident that occurred in the loos but they're not disclosing that to parents (they don't have to).
All the loos in the secondary I work in, are locked during lesson time and only 1 set is left open. All kids are issued a note by their class teacher if they need to leave during lessons.
Children who have a condition where upon they need frequent loo visits, also have a toilet pass/escape card.

the girls who seem to have been negatively impacted the most

isn't it always?

All the loos in the secondary I work in, are locked during lesson time and only 1 set is left open well that makes more sense, I presume there's free access in breaks and lunchtimes, and anyone who needs to go in lesson time can get to one.

You’d think they’d have better things to spend their dwindling budgets on than senior teachers doing toilet runs 😁

Then they need to re-do the toilets into unisex open ones - the type with an open entrance where the wash basins are in the middle and floor to ceiling cubicles along each side. That way a supervisor is there a break times and no hassles.
Medical passes should be issued to kids who need them though.

The first 5 had everything from not being flushed, full of used toilet paper, poo/blood or urine on the seats, wet and dry paper towels everywhere. Loo rolls unwound touching the ground. Who knows what on the walls (now I know why the staff member, made a ewww face when I asked if I could use the loo!)

It is ewww. Goodness knows why people feel the need to pull half the loo roll off the roll and leave it on the floor but it's not confined to schools and is often the case in public loos. If I find loo paper on the floor I flush it down the loo (not paper towels).

Schools are going backwards...at eldest DDs ex school (mixed comprehensive & she left last year) they brought in a policy whereby the girls had to get changed back into their uniforms to walk home after PE has their standard uniform skort showed "too much leg" and this even though most girls wore black running leggings underneath anyway!! There is also no option at this school for girls - be it in KS3,4 or sixth form to wear trousers!!

With regard to this I would investigate whether this rule contravenes any laws around child welfare or human rights. Sounds utterly appalling to me!! Although having had the misfortune to sea with schools even when they're breaking government legislation I suspect they'll be a law unto themselves!!

Annoying autocorrect typos! Sorry! Sea = deal for a start!!

I have just had to pick her up early as she had a poo leakage... sigh

Then they need to re-do the toilets into unisex open ones

This is the worst idea possible. Firstly, you would have to have year group loos as no year 7 girl would want or have to go into loos used by huge, strapping 16 year old, year 11 boys.
No girl wants to come out of the loo with bloody hands and face a load of boys.
Uni-sex loos are a prime target area for sexual harassment in schools.
If you ask kids in my school about uni-sex loos, both sexes say they would hate them and not use them.