Am I just being really precious if I complain about the toilet arrangements?

[sunnydelight]

DD is in pre-school here in Sydney. It's a very different system to the UK so she's already 5 and just attends two days a week. She will start in kindergarten at the start of the next school year in January (if we had stayed in the UK she would just have finished reception).

Due to major building works the pre-school moved to new premises during the holidays (it's part of a school that takes kids from 4-18) and they built new toilet facilities. Basically when you walk in the door of the pre-school the toilets are just to the right, the toilets themselves are on a raised platform and there are clear glass windows which means you can see anyone in there from anywhere in the rather small pre-school area. I wouldn't have a problem with this arrangement with younger children (say 2/3), but it is so "in your face" I can't help feeling it's a bit inappropriate at this age. Yesterday at pick up time a little girl was in there and looked a bit taken aback to suddenly see 5/6 adults on the other side of the glass. DD is quite modest, always shuts the door when she goes to the loo normally and sorts herself out. When I first saw the new toilets I said to the pre-school head "I assume you will be getting a blind, that's a bit public" she just laughed and said they needed to be able to see into the toilets.

Of course in the grand scheme of things it's not a big deal, but nevertheless I am unhappy. Anyone in the pre-school is either a parent or staff so I have no concerns on that front, it just seems a bit incongruous to me, especially as it is a Christian school that often cites modesty as a desirable virtue!!!! Would it be really silly and precious of me to voice my concerns to the head?

So can you actually see in to see the children on the toilets, or just when they are in the bathroom?

Well - I wouldn't like to use the loo with an audience, so I wouldn't want my 5 year old put in that position. Very odd IMO.

I wouldn't like that either and I'm not overly precious about such things usually. I understand the teachers need to be able to access the loos but why can't they have those 3/4 doors and put blinds on the glass windows?

Dignity should be afforded to everyone, whether 2 or 102 and IMO being totally visible to all whilst on the loo is undignified.

That sounds horrible. Poor children. They deserve to be treated with a bit of dignity.

My DD is starting kindy here in Melb next year and I saw this in the 2 places I checked out too.
I guess it makes it easier for the staff to keep an eye on the kids without having to be in the toilets with them.
I will make sure I never have to use the loo during drop off/collection times!!

I think maybe it's a DOCS requirement superloopy, can't see why it can't be made a bit fuzzy with opaque glass though! In response to LLPJ, EVERYTHING is in full view; the poor little girl wiping her bum yesterday suddenly found herself with half a dozen parents watching her - the way it's positioned it's difficult not to have them in your line of vision!!!!

Glad to see you don't all think I'm just being funny. I have just written a letter to the overall school Head so it will be interesting to see what he says.

In the UK this would be unacceptable to Ofsted. My ds's nursery was criticised for lack of privacy simply because the cubicless didn't have doors, thought the loo itself was private.

Bit much IMO. Both my boys have gone off for poos in private from 18 mo or so. The older one (4) has said "I want to be alone" while pooing on loo or potty as soon as he could say it. And we are definitely not precious about bodily functions here. Most undignified to make people poo in public.