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!

I worked in a school that had a block of toilets between every 2 classrooms, it was awful. Kids running through from one classroom to the next, turning taps on so the toilets and classes flooded, horrible smells... They locked them and made everyone use the main toilets in the end!

Aa well all the excellent points made by other teachers, I would like to point out that I have never had a child wet or soil themselves in my lessons, ever, and never knowingly let a student bleed through.
i can’t say the same for myself, teachers also cannot go to the loo when they want, it’s certainly not safe,or permissible to leave class, and if you have tutor time, 2 lessons, break duty, then 2 lessons, that makes it 8:30 to 1 without being able to use the loo, and i have often bled through. ( thank the fuck for the invention of period pants, that then need to be coupled with a pad and a tampon on heavy days)

@MargotBamborough are you saying teachers should quit their jobs. It’s their fault because they haven’t all left

The toilets were the only safe space I had during my a levels. I had severe mental health problems and social areas were too much in free periods so I spent prolonged periods in the toilets as I went between the library and the common room trying to hold myself together enough to face my lessons. I would have dropped out of education if they had been locked. It did mean I got to see a lot of the kids that were less interested in their education!

In one of my first jobs after my undergraduate degree I worked in a factory. I was one of just 3 female employees the other 50 or so were men and I was the only woman not in the admin office. The ladies toilet was locked and I had to asked the office manager for the key if I needed the toilet. The reason given was men trash the women's toilet as it's nicer than theirs. It seems that if you don't call out children or inappropriate behaviour and instead just block they become adults that don't respect others communal property then either. I left after 3 weeks after being deny first aid based on my gender

If all the parents who are moaning about their kids not being able to use the toilets actually stepped up and volunteered to do toilet duty to cover the 6 hour 20 minute school day then problem solved.

You could have a chair and read a book. Then you just need to make sure the kids go one at a time into the cubicles, inspect the cubicles regularly for damage (shouldn't be too bad if only one pupil per cubicle), and report any kids vaping.

We don't lock our toilets.

We do have a phantom shitter who likes to leave massive turds in basins, urinals, on toilet seats.... sometimes they smear it about just for a bit more fun.

Having read through much of the thread, I think we have a much bigger problem and toilets are just a symptom. What has gone wrong in our culture and schools for it to get this bad? Sure, there has always been the odd unruly student who might have issues and smash up the loos, but it wasn’t a widespread behaviour.

Something that stands out on this thread is that both students and teachers are dehumanised by this system. No one is thriving. People seriously suggest that it’s fine for people not to have access to a toilet when they need it, and people clearly also have no regard for teaching as a profession and are intent on devoting their time to belittling the teachers who are willing to give their insights on the matter, perhaps it’s a hangover from their own behaviour at school? I guess people don’t want their kids to get a good education, or that’s what you have to conclude.

It seems that if you don't call out children or inappropriate behaviour

Teachers call out and deal with children's inappropriate behaviour constantly, every day. Unfortunately that does not stop it. There is no sanction in schools' powers that really deters bad behaviour in persistent offenders.

They can't if they have a job.

Surely the answer should be that classrooms have a en-suite girls & and ensuite boys toilets

What, every classroom in a school? Are you serious?!

@MargotBamborough maybe all the teachers you have told to quit could volunteer to do toilet duty

I'm not saying it's their fault.

I'm saying nothing will be done about it if they don't rock the boat.

Legally, we are only allowed to strike about our own pay and conditions. Striking over toilets would be illegal. It's not a boat we can rock.

You could all resign on the same day though, which would have a far bigger impact.

That's not illegal, is it?

Also, how is being understaffed and underresourced to the point where you can't leave toilets unlocked not relevant to your working conditions?

Excellent idea.

Then we're all unemployed, and your kid still can't use the toilet at school because it's shut. Oh... and they're not getting an education.

Do you think this is a better use of school funds than e.g. TAs?

This isn't a new thing, they did this when I was at school and I'm almost 40!

Because I don't use the children's toilets: that's not allowed.

You're trying to make out that teachers don't care enough, but your arguments don't hold water. I know my employment contract and legal position much better than you do.

What do you think the long term impact of that would be?

I think the Tories would love an opportunity to get rid of qualified teachers and replace us with unqualified supervisors. And things in schools would get even more draconian.

I can't see how it's the teachers job to strike. It's our children who are suffering with this system, as well as our teachers and school staff.
This has obviously been happening for a very long time and I didn't have a clue how bad it was...if all the millions of people who also didn't know have their eyes opened maybe something can happen. Sounds like we're literally at breaking point and need to unite and fight for more funding.
@Bovrilla and the other staff who really know, what do we need to enable schools to run properly, safely and harmoniously?

Other jobs are available, of course.

But the government would have to do something pretty quickly to get you all to un-resign.

Alternatively you could just moan and your own pay and conditions and the children's education would get steadily worse.

If this was happening in my child's school the first thing I would do is get them a note from the GP to say they must be allowed to go to the toilet whenever they want, and the second thing I would do is sit down with a calculator and work out whether it was more financially viable to pay for private school somehow, or quit my own job and home school them myself.

None of them can be getting a decent education in the godforsaken places you are all describing.

@MargotBamborough maybe teachers can carry on teaching and parents could rock the boat instead. Maybe they could all mass resign and bugger up the economy and then they would be available to volunteer for toilet duty

MN: prepare to ban me.

@MargotBamborough you are quite simply a prick. A stupid, goady, massively ridiculous prick. If all pricks could type you'd be able to be their leader. You could indeed be the Union Leader of The Pricks.

If you were a real person and not some ridiculous prick troll I'd worry about the state of the world a lot more than I do.

Parents absolutely should rock the boat about the toilets being locked, yes.

But only the teachers refusing to work is likely to result in action from the government on schools in general.