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?

Is the head a man or a woman?

This policy seems to assume that it's reasonable to offload the professional problems involved in running a school onto students. The majority of students haven't vandalised the toilets or taken drugs in there. They need to be able to use the toilet during the school day and shouldn't feel embarrassed to do so or have to finish within two minutes when that's clearly not always possible.

Our secondary school was a bit like this.we weren't really allowed to leave the classroom to use the loo. We were expected to go during break/lunch.
I very vividly remember sitting in class at the age of around 14 and feeling my sanitary towel start to leak. I got up and asked to go to the bathroom to which my Male teacher said no. I got to his desk and as quietly as possible said "I really need to go to the loo and change." He didnt understand at all but then this horrible realisation washed over his face and he just nodded.
My mum was furious when I told her. Sue complained to the head.
The thing is; in situations like this - your DD included - I dont think girls should have to explain the situation. Especially to male members of staff. Its beyond embarrassing and unfair.
How do you solve the problem tho?! 🤷‍♀️

I worked in a girls' secondary school twenty years ago, and misuse of the toilets was a permanent problem: there was the meeting-mates-by-coordinated-text issue, the quick fag break, the blocking all the toilets in the cubicles with loo roll lark, the bunking off lessons and generally misbehaving ploy. The school tried various solutions, including making all students who wanted access go to the office for a pass, sending them to use the headteacher's own loo, writing each excursion during lesson time in the contact book, putting smoke detectors in the older age group's toilets, and just saying no to all requests, which was unkind. But the toilets were never locked during break and lunch, and we miserable teachers and lunchtime supervisors had to do supervision duty in each year group toilets, when many Year 10s holed up in a cubicle and kept their feet up so they couldn't be identified smoking. It wasn't much fun then, and it isn't now. I wish there was a solution.

I was impressed at the time when, visiting my DC's future secondary, the member of staff who showed me round a) stated that it was their aim to have the best school toilets in the country and b) offered to show me any toilet facilities I wished to as part of our tour (obviously once there was nobody in them). i didn't take them up on the offer - the fact it was made seemed to me to be enough.

I'm even more impressed since reading this thread....

This is far beyond bizarre. It's degrading. If there's a problem in the loos, it's the school's problem, not that of the other students.

My DCs school decided to lock the loos for a half term. They had spent quite a considerable amount upgrading them in the holidays, only for some little gits to fuck them within days.
I totally understood why, but a group of parents began a petition because they weren't happy on the no loo use during class time unless emergency situation, or unless they signed for a key.
The school backed down in the end and of course, the loos have been trashed again.
If we expect our offspring to be treated with respect and rights then a bit of peer pressure is surely a good deterrent against vandalism.
Escorting them is a bit OTT. But the signing a book where the time was checked certainly put off would be vandals.

Bullying could be an issue, I know of a special needs student who was sexually abused by another student at secondary school so it could be a safeguarding issue. I think its a good thing. Probably the only one on here who does

How can 2/3rd if a school having no access to a toilet for over 6 hours a good thing.

Bullying or assault or not?

Even prisoners wouldbt be treated like that .

In newer school buildings the toilets are often unisex cubicles with no just an opening rather than a door. This helps prevent vandalism and bullying.

In this case, I think it sounds like a temporary policy to deal with an issue - I doubt the SLT have time to keep it in force for long!

As a teacher I do understand this issue.

We have certain children who do have a toilet pass for medical conditions. However our lessons are only 50 minutes long therefore, other children don’t have access.

Also I can’t go to the toilet within my lesson, so I think it is only fair!

Our children have 20 minutes at break, and 50 minutes at lunch to go to the toilet!

However, I don’t agree with chaperone!!!

Also, if they're saying its because of a student taking drugs, this isn't even going to solve that. If somebody wants to take drugs, they'll find a way. The school should be offering adequate support and advice to children caught taking drugs, not putting the wellbeing of the hundreds of other pupils at risk as part of a draconian, ill thought out response.

@hotdog44
How many pupils in your school? How many loos? Sure its not 135+ kids per loo in 15 min window? Any procedures to make sure year 7s and 8s are allowed to get to loos and loos arent dominated by older kids.
Are you sure they're not locked? (They usually are). Or are you just turning a blind eye to all that and blindly following the new totalitarian order.

Not to mention children need to go to loo more than adults, and, lastly, 15 minute break and half hour lunch normally (?), not much time to get out of lesson, queue for diner etc, poss get things from locker. 1000 kids? What if they had detention?

I find it hard enough to go to the toilet in a public space (like Tesco). My daughter would die of shame if the head or any teacher was standing there listening. She just wouldn't go. And her school day is almost 8 hours long.

Surely there are not that many children that go out in lessons. Why could the teacher of each class keep a record of who went out in a lesson and then the toilets could just be checked by the nearest staff member at the end of each period. Any problems could then be narrowed down to a handful. If kids are going to take drugs they will just find another opportunity.

Speak to school and explain she has an underlying condition, be descriptive and they should give her a toilet pass.

My DD also has bowel problems and has a pass, if they say no, challenge it.

@Dragonembroidery we are a small school, around 400 pupils in total.

We have no older students dominating toilets, as staff are on duty during lunch and break.

We have toilet blocks for males and females, which are all cubicles from floor to ceiling. our school is a brand new building, therefore I think the toilet to pupil capacity was discussed.

Just to be clear 50 minutes at lunch and 20 minutes at break.

They can go to the toilet between walking to lesson, as 5 minute change over time allocated.

If it is safeguarding against drugs, it's a shit policy. I was not a very nice teenager, if I attended school, I frequently took drugs there (no, parents and staff not aware), often, but not always, in the loo. I could have more than adequately had a line of speed in two minutes with a teacher near - indeed I did. I also did on the school field, on the stairs, occasionally in a class just to see of I could... now, that is obviously crappy behaviour on my part, but my point is, I wanted to take drugs in school, so I did. No amount of timing or escorts would prevent someone who wants to take the drugs from doing so; didn't then and won't now. All it will do is cause toilet accidents.

I think giving kids medical exemption permits is a red herring and only likely to breed resentment against them by the other kids.

Of course, the ones with medical conditions need to be able to go urgently - but so do ALL of the kids.

Anybody can get caught short and it takes children longer to get used to the rhythm of their bodies and to develop stronger muscles to hold it in. The elephant in the room, obviously, is periods. A lot of young girls who haven't been menstruating long, or may be anticipating it starting at any time, will be anxious for days on end - or more - and will certainly not be properly able to concentrate on their school work.

You don't imprison all adults because a small proportion commit appalling crimes; you shouldn't deprive children and young people of their basic human rights because a few abuse the facilities.

www.eric.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=054f3e51-c299-43d9-892b-d237ca921eb4

Take a look at the Eric website. I have attached a link above to a toilet charter

@ItsGoingTibiaK

I would suggest the Q is unanswerable because there is no money and only a few members of SLT available during the day as teachers are in class.

You either:
a) leave it as it is originally and risk more incidents
b) close the loos and escort each pupil
c) if you have the money, remodel the loos and install CCTV

As C isn't an option for many schools as no money - then it's a choice between a or b. B could be modified so that only those that are a safeguarding concern are escorted, but there's still then a risk for those that haven't been identified.

Personally I think C is the best option, but no cash means it's not happening any time soon.

@ShawshanksRedemption
In what world is having two members of the SLT constantly escorting kids to the loo cheaper than CCTV?

Medical exemptions is obviously necessary but what if a kid is just a bit constipated or for whatever other reasons needs more than 2 minutes to poo?

@ItsGoingTibiaK Because as mentioned upthread, the SLT will do the escorting during the day, and then do their other work after hours for the same money. Believe me when I say nobody wants to be escorting anyone to the loos including SLT. I'm sure if they could find another way that didn't cost, they would.

sorry that was @SalmonFajitas

Definitely ask for a pass. You could ask to speak to the tutor. My DD has one(it's written in her planner) for heavy period issues. Sounds a really rediculous policy and what a waste of SLT members time. Great value for money!!! Is it an Academy?I would have thought a local authority school wouldn't allow such crazy policies,but who knows!