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!

Wtf?!

We need to get control back of schools. There are children the world over who are desperate for an education and it sounds like our schools are turning feral. If a child damages a school toilet, CCTV should be picking that up and the parents paying.

Parents on another thread on here dont expect a child to be able to sit and behave in a restaurant. They are 'only' children is their excuse for them running around and causing havoc.

Now imagine those same children being handed over to school without simple basic social skills. The teachers are having to try to teach whilst also trying to instil basic behavioural actions. It must be impossible for them.

So you can ask for your basic human rights etc for your children but until we actually start parenting our children and stop handing over ferral animals what do we expect them to do?

All current school staff know why. Not enough staff.
People leaving in droves.
Staggered lunch breaks meaning if you're on duty at break it can be over four hours for a toilet break ( secondary teacher).
It's awful

my school would never hire extra people in to come and supervise. They have found a loophole that means they can employ TAs as apprentices and pay them £9000 a year! As a mum with a daughter with an ehcp it terrifies me! These MATs are a national scandal, I honestly can’t get my head around what they are thinking most of the time. They bully expensive, experienced staff out and replace them with 21 year olds. Of course everyone has to be a new teacher at some point but you need these older teachers. They know everything and they are the ones that the kids respect and are a little bit scared of. The whole thing is madness.

When I started teaching we had one head teacher and two deputy heads, now the school has 8 ‘assistant heads’ earning a fortune.

What people always forget about the management structure of MATs and academies is that these jobs used to be done in LAs not schools, hence schools now need a lot more management staff.

This is one of the reasons so many parents now opting for home education. Schools are run like prisons. Teachers don't want to be there, can't blame them, and neither do the kids. It is a toxic, unhealthy environment, many young teenagers are more than capable of learning from home, they still socialise, and learn how to self manage themselves which is essential in WFH culture.

Sad to say, there's very little respect for teachers, can just imagine what the response to a prefect would be 😟

My dd was sexually assaulted by a boy in the girlsvtoilets during lesson time, so i an all in favour of them only being in use at busy times

When I asked specific posters their opinions I hadn't seen all the other teacher replies. Dear god, we're in a bad place!
Believe it or not I actually work in a primary school, one if my children has Sen, another in y8. We have some problems, particularly regarding Sen provisions but we've got long term staff - an amazing team actually, good parent- teacher relationships on the whole and same for the secondary. They are looking for a few teachers, they've got CCTV and of course the odd incident happens but on the whole my entire experience as staff and mother has all gone pretty smoothly. My secondary was quite rough...lots of smoking, some drugs and drinking, truancy, people getting their trainers nicked, etc. It wasn't like this, though, so many just wanting to destroy everything and hurt people, to the point where the people who've worked hard to become teachers either quit or are hardened to things like children not being able to go to the toilet all day. I just can't believe how awful things have gotten!

It's grim and dehumanising.

With both primary and secondary school I contested the rule that students had to stay at school for lunch. Both times I won, which meant that my dc were able to come home for lunch and use the toilet here. I am very aware that our family situation made that possible, and was happy to extend a welcome to their close friends at secondary school. One grateful mum bought me flowers and a huge pack of toilet rolls.

DH has actually been pressuring the powers that be to get independent toilets for his school not a block which should make things better if there’s one kid in each toilet rather than a gang of them.

There’s a teacher posted outside at all times it’s that bad and they spend most of the time being called a paedo for the privilege. Instead of teaching or lesson planning or helping kids who need it he’s spending hours a day supervising during breaks, lunchtimes and changeovers. Not one of the staff gets dinner unless they are sat supervising the lunch hall at the same time. If the teachers weren’t there he said the younger ones won’t go to the toilet at all as they are scared. Obviously there’s no way they can supervise like this at lesson time hence a ban, it’s to keep the kids safe not to infringe on their human rights.

Blame the government for the lack of staffing and the state of the schools and the parents for bringing up such horrible members of society. Directing it at school staff is misplaced.

I didn’t realise some schools locked them at break times though, I really do disagree with that but again I can see why if there’s nobody to supervise.

Could parent volunteers help?

Basically, no.

this drives me nuts. I did the maths on it once and there was not enough time in break for all the girls to use the toilet considering number of toilets/girls in the school.

Plus, PERIODS. My eldest who isn't at school anymore was prevented from going to the toilet in lessons because she 'should have gone at break'. She DID go at break, but her bleeding was so heavy she had to go more often. she was on the same meds I took for adenomyosis, to control her bleeding. she bled through her skirt a bunch of times. she was eventually given a 'toilet pass' but FFS! 😡

I just don't understand the mentality that drives trashing toilets. I've never in my life felt that urge. Can anyone explain?

The new build school here has a corridor of toilets that are all single cubicle with full doors and sinks inside - like accessible toilets in restaurants and the likes - and the corridor is overlooked by the school office. There are very heavy sanctions for being caught hanging around in the corridor (unless you are in the queue area if it's busy) and it seems to be working well. There are also two individual ones next to the SLT offices which require a key and there are a handful of pupils who are only allowed to use those. The HT is pretty ruthless that if you get caught damaging a toilet then you have to use one of those.
The HT has said they are hoping to install CCTV into the lockers area as some disruption has moved there and having staff stationed there the whole time isn't feasible.

The HT also basically used covid to scrap the previous uniform that all had to be bought in a specialist shop. It's now basically black trousers or skirt (only rule is that your underwear must not be visible), white shirt, t-shirt or polo shit and a black, white or red jumper/cardi/hoody. Plain black shoes with no logos. The newsletter from the HT has made very clear that the atmosphere in the school in mornings is so much better as there are far fewer clashes between staff and pupils over uniform.

Sadly thought it's only a matter of time before they end up lumped in with the other two high schools which are part of a MAT which is frankly shit. They'll also then lose the support of a local businessman who donates a lot of money to the PTA and the school, but he won't go near the others as he doesn't trust them to spend the money on decent things for the children.

No school is going to risk allowing parent helpers to hang around the toilets.

Plus the kids who are likely to do damage aren't going to listen to or respect a parent. And it may very well end up with hassles for the child whose parent is the one that got someone in trouble.

The last school I worked at was at one point down to one functioning toilet for boys. All others were out of action, sinks ripped off the walls, you can’t imagine what goes on in there. Kids in (some) secondary schools are awful, no respect for anything or anybody. I left that school because it was making me I’ll.

Many professions require dbs checks, sit outside in the hall allow one in at a time.

That’s very naive.

YANBU op, at DDs primary they decided to lock the door providing access to the toilets during break so kids have to find a teacher if they want to go. I'm not 100% clear on what happens but apparently they then have to go through another playground to access and if a different teacher doesn't realise they have permission they get told off just for going through the other playground they're not meant to be in. Not to mention they get time deducted from breaks for using it during class time, so end up not going and holding it in. They can't use it easily during break or lesson by the sound of it. I complained but never had the reason explained to me by a teacher nor any attempt to sort it out. I'm still not really sure WTF is going on. Really shocking.

Central government have washed their hands of most decisions in schools. Any complaints need to come from ‘a lack of staffing’ angle. Where can schools find people to actually keep these government institutions running properly!

Mind you the school near me had 13 teachers leave in summer and haven't been able to replace many! Classrooms sound as chaotic as some of these toilet stories!

so if parent volunteers is a no, I guess then the next step is funding for a security guard.

One 20 minute break and one 45 minute lunch break - how many pupils are going to be able to access the toilet with a one-in-one-out policy? If that worked schools would already be doing it.

A DBS check isnt going to make pupils listen to, or respect, Billy’s mum or Donna’s dad.

in the volunteer model, there would be someone positioned all morning, someone else all afternoon.