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!

Yes, children often either avoid the toilets because of the problematic behaviour in there, or because the toilets have been locked due to the problematic behaviour.

but always saying "no this can't be done" isn't helping.
there is someone with the power to change this and teachers, who are in high demand need to exercise their power to push back.
the kids themselves can begin to learn about levels of government, how a complaint process works.
the teacher who needs a break during their 14 hours stretch, needs to simply take 15 minutes-30 minutes and take their break. by always being of the mentality that ONLY teachers can fix this or ONLY teachers are responsible (btw mainly women and a very ingrained trait) nothing needs to be fixed because many will stretch themselves more.
so teachers this toilet issue isn't yours to fix, people are asking who do you contact?
as for money you know darn well money can be dug up, be is a joint collaboration with other service provider or some managers bonus. i wouldn't be the least bit surprised if just tonight the news won't report money for some war effort, security, or upcoming special project.

there is someone with the power to change this and teachers, who are in high demand need to exercise their power to push back.

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

as for money you know darn well money can be dug up, be is a joint collaboration with other service provider or some managers bonus.

I'm not sure that you understand how the budgets in schools work.

It's a reasonable point.

If everyone really is quitting teaching then the laws of supply and demand ought to be working in your favour.

I presume you were in favour of the teachers striking.

Yeah, you'd think so, wouldn't you.

You know that the government wouldn't negotiate with us when we went on strike, right? Schools closed for days and they didn't give a shit.

Lots of teachers really are quitting. Heads are replacing lots of them with support staff because they are so much cheaper.

How on earth can anyone look at the situation in schools and think that teachers have any power?

Baffling.

So go on strike again until the message sinks in.

Here's the thing....we're not allowed to strike about pupil toilets.

We're also not allowed to strike about schools not getting anywhere near enough funding.

But yeah, just add 'shitty school funding' to things that teachers get the blame for, right?

Teachers can ONLY strike over pay and conditions.

Which is why so many members of the public grasp the wrong end of the stick.

I wish I was exaggerating as I put my 3 babies to bed on my own for the 4th time this week as he’s still not back at 7pm after leaving at 6am this morning, and after parenting alone all day Sunday too because the head requested a load of waste of time crap last minute for Monday on top of planning for the 3 departments he is responsible for that have lost staff and are running on supply. But you obviously know best.

I never said teachers had it the worst or hardest life of everyone on earth, I was explaining why there’s not the resources to allow every child to go for a wander round the halls mid lesson claiming to need the toilet rather than wait until break (I wasn’t defending locking at break times as I said)
Your child might be an angel and not try it on but for every one that won’t there’s 10 that will.

exactly this. "Somehow" they found the money by taking away TA support in the classroom, for popular example. They don't do it by cutting back on their caviar in the champagne bar. They don't just get to raise money by putting up prices on their services, they're restricted by their budgets and there is NO excess money.

Also, people saying "you wouldn't stop adults using the toilets" well I suspect that if half the staff were shitting up the place and breaking sinks off the walls on a regular basis, you'd be having some restrictions put in place. And you'd probably have a case against them for destruction of property or something if you managed to find out which staff it was, unlike at a school where they're all just little cherubs who would never do such things.

I think it's a wonder that we have any headteachers left at all.

Honestly, I do not know how we do have headteachers.

Sadly due to lack of supply some of them are awful but I have worked under 2 absolutely amazing headteachers. I don't know how the last one carried on their calm, composed manner.

True. But the Unions should and could have made such a better job of pushing this front and centre during the last year. It was so frustrating to watch them, especially the NASUWT, fuck up so badly.

Not allowed to strike, Jesus Christ.

Of course you can strike, you just do it. Set up a new union if you need to. Or just all hand your notice in.

Or lock the toilets and moan about how you had no choice because the kids are out of control.

No, we're not legally allowed to strike about school funding. Look it up.

And it's not just secondary kids that use a toilet break to destroy property Op.

My Primary School cleaners this weeks have had to scrape wet toilet roll off the walls and ceiling, narrowly avoiding slipping on the art work caused by lavishly smearing clear hand soap on the floors.

I've had plumbers, drain clearers and site crew unblocking drains because everyone has decided to shove the loo roll and free sanpro down the toilets.

That's all money from the school budget that could buy them fantastic stuff to augment their learning and enrichment.

And 'just all hand your notice in' is the most fucking stupid suggestion yet.

@noblegiraffe cant believe someone is blaming teachers for this, they really have no clue

Silly. Why don't we just do that in the morning? I'm sure a single break time would nail the whole problem, I mean you can't have a wee because of the plumbing so use that time productively!