To want to understand and get something to be done about the school toilet issue.

[Rasell]

Until a couple of days ago I was blissfully unaware of the fact that lots of children are unable to go to the toilet all day at school on a daily basis, because lots of schools countrywide lock their toilets during lesson time and then are either too understaffed to open them or there are just too many children trying to use them, there's not enough time to eat and queue up for the toilet so these children are forced to hold it in all day, every day.
This seems to be because of appalling antisocial behaviour, destroying the facilities, bullying and worse but I'm not clear as to whether that's always the reason why.
I very much sympathise with schools having to deal with this and am horrified by the utter lack of values, respect, care, integrity and common decency that some people are raising their children to have. I don't know how to solve that problem but it definitely can't be blamed on schools or government, in my opinion; if you have children, raise them to be decent human beings. That's your job.
Denying children the right to use the toilet is unacceptable, though.
No-one can expect older children to just swan off at any given moment for a wee when they're busy doing a task in a lesson; if I need the loo while I'm busy at work I wait until I finish it then I go. However, if I've got my period and am leaking, or suddenly get a tummy ache or something, then I go immediately. Why should that be different at school? Why should they sit there in a pool of blood or desperately trying to hold their poo? How can they focus or work to their best ability?
This feels like pensioners having to choose between heating their homes or eating, or children coming to school without having breakfast and not being able to concentrate. We can't allow our children to have to choose whether they eat or go to the toilet, or sit in a classroom unable to follow the teacher because they're worried they're going to wet themselves. Boys weeing in bushes and girls holding it in all day...this is madness!!
The thread I was following was a mix of people's experiences from either side of the argument and rants. I really want to understand what's going on because I think we need to do something about it. I'm no-one and don't even have any children going through this but I'm so shocked by it that I want to get some facts and start a petition, I don't know, do something! Please help with useful information and comments. Thank you!

severe consequences for children "loitering" in toilets (vaping with their mates) and preventing others from using them as it is too intimidating.

What do you mean by severe consequences please? Non-teachers are often very keen to say that schools should discipline students for bad behaviour (other people's children, not their own), but rarely say what punishments they want schools to be able to dole out, beyond detentions, internal exclusion and suspension. Schools already use these sanctions, and yet here we are.

@Purplebunnie the parent volunteer rota was suggested on the first page and this was said to be impossible.

I know, but I was getting a bit frustrated with the poster

Yay France. Nirvana for children with SEN I understand.

We should absolutely model that society

Although we would have the remit to simply park our tractors in protest or ban the nijab. That'll fix shit.

We could have le vin at lunch.

That's a separate issue of course. I would never defend France's attitude towards children with SEN.

Xenophobia. Lovely.

Someone with no skin in the game and a hobby of winding up teachers appears not to be worth engaging with.

Every parent has skin in this game. It's not my intention to wind teachers up. I imagine many parents are exasperated by the "nothing can be done" attitude.

Believe me, if I wanted to wind you up there are other things I would say.

@MargotBamborough but your suggestions that all teachers should resign are ridiculous

So then how do some schools manage it then? People keep saying this yet PLENTY of schools have toilets that are never locked.

@Dramatic some teachers have given examples of behaviours that have happened in their schools where toilets are unlocked

Well if they don't have "permission" to strike, it's that or just keep howling at the moon, isn't it.

@MargotBamborough but why is it down to teachers to solve the problem

So then they are obviously not dealing with these behaviours properly, how can it be that some schools can deal with it and some can't? It's got to be the fault of the school really hasn't it?

@Dramatic you don’t think some children’s behaviour is anything to do with parents?

The punishment issue is hilarious, especially considering the thread with the parent whining about their (late) daughter getting detention for being late.

Imagine the palaver trying to discipline the kids for all this. The shock and horror of the parents

Yes, but that's always been the case hasn't it. Some schools are known to be "strict" and not allow certain behaviours, the schools that are deciding it's a better idea to lock toilets than it is to tackle the behaviour are at fault.

What needs to happen is parents need to parent their feral children. Once they can do that, then they can treat them how to respect others and the property of others. The state is now responsible for housing and feeding the majority - looks like it needs to be responsible for parenting too. When your little darlings can stop damaging other tax payers property and hurting others - then there may not be an issue.

You do understand that different schools have different intakes and different challenges?

There has been plenty of complaints to my daughter's school about their very strict phone policy, they still haven't changed it.

Yes. I've already said several times that my daughter's school is a large comp in a deprived area.

You lost me when you said it's the fault of parents.
When I went to high school there were some awful, destructive kids (one set fire to the school bus) However, we were still free to use the toilets during the day and nothing awful happened in them.
Also, you say that there aren't enough staff to check on/unlock toilets. Hmm is that the fault of parents too? I wonder what could possibly have caused such a deterioration in school funding in the last decade? It's almost as though we have a government in power who haven't funded it properly 🤔
Secondly, I know in my neices school, they made the toilets gender neutral. Which obviously caused a whole host of problems. So they locked the toilets.
Then they made them gender neutral, but completely open! So cubicles and a long sink, all open plan to the corridor! So kids are given less privacy, all because of inclusiveness and cost cutting.
These kids are under valued and given low expectations for achievement in life (words to that effect in the ofsted report) We can't even give them a bit of dignity to use the bathroom. So, I don't want to hear about how a few bad apples are causing these problems or their parents. We've always had bad apples, but we haven't always had such a shit government. Work it out!!

Just did a petition. No facts or data on it because I don't know how to get hold of it!__
What changes/additions need to be made?
Thank you x

And how does it deal with persistent toilet vandalism?

I am not knocking teachers here with this suggestion but trying to understand just how we have got to this situation here in the UK . My grandchildren are only in their early years at primary right now but I fear for their education later on reading all of this .
Vandalised toilets is nothing new . I remember a whole story on it on Grange Hills in the 70s or early 80s!

However I wonder how much the MAT and academies has to do with it , po articulately their apparent eagerness to outdo each other in ridiculous uniform rules and draconian punishments particularly isolation. When people are not treated with dignity eventually they explode - you don’t have to look beyond the world news tonight to see that . I frequently read of outlandish rules and the like on here.
Secondary schools seem to have gradually become more draconian between my own school days 1970s and 80s , my eldest daughter ( 2000s ) the 2 younger ones 2010s till today with more and more trying to fit square pegs into round holes .

its no wonder children seem to have little respect for others and property if they are not being given it back . It’s apparent from the comments on here that where there is less of a problem seems to be schools where there is still mutual respect .

Yes this really does bother me . Yes, as suggested I will write to my MP . I am very concerned as to what sort of society we have become .