What's your school's policy on kids leaving class to go to the loo?

[partystress]

DS (year 4) cross because he can't see why his school have introduced a rule that children can only go to the loo at break times. I'm cross because I think this explains why his water bottle has been coming home hardly touched... I think what's happened is that some kids ask to go to the loo because they just want a break from class and then they take too long, which I can see is a problem. But it seems awfully old-fashioned to me, unhealthy and one more source of stress that children just don't need. Would love others' views before I get my guns a'blazin'

We don't have a policy. It's a basic human right to go to the loo isn't it?

I'd go in guns blazin'! Basic human right, I agree. A decent teacher knows when kids are taking the pee, and should say no if that's the case.

There is only about an hour or so between breakimes. By Y4 I really would expect a child to be able to use breaktimes for toilet breaks and not have to leave the room during learning activities other than in an emergency.

It can be awully distruptive to have lots of children getting up and leaving a classroom for the toilet. If one is allowed to do it, lots will, and do, follow suit.

I work in a Y1 class and the teacher expects the Y1 to wait if they cn. She dislikes them, and discourages them, from going during the circle time - when the main learning activity is taking place. The teacher also reminds all children, as they go out for break, to use the toilet.

In DD's school children can leave the class to use the toilet but it is discouraged, esp once in juniors. Children are reminded to go at breaktimes and would be expected to be able to wait wherever possible.

Oh, and when i was teaching, and now as a TA I have to only go at breaktimes too.

I had to take action with the school as it caused an ITU which she hadn't had since she was 3 - I went in to see the teachers and they made a lot of reasons why the children could go to the loo and I did expalin that this was a health issue and they couldn't make my chid ill by stopping loo trips and then infections setting in.

I wrote a letter explaining that preventing dc from going to the loo can cause ITU's. I sent the letter to the head and the governers

The school stopped preventing the dc after this from going to the loo.

I think the fact that it was on paper they could then take any chances of making my dd ill twice or another child ill.

I'm a teacher too, and have to wait until breaktimes. But I'm an adult. And there have been times when I've asked someone to watch my class while I go.
Discourage it, yes. I do sometimes tell children they can go in a few minutes, when a certain part of the lesson is over. But you can't stop them altogether, that's just cruel.

I agree to ban them altogether is wrong but I do think by Y4 it should be very much discouraged where possible, esp during key parts of the lesson. Eergencies are different, as are occasions if a hild has a medical condition or health problem at the time.

I can see that discouraging in class, and basically just having a good idea of who is likely to be taking the pee, as it were, is part and parcel of managing behaviour in the classroom. What worries me is that this is now a rule, announced in an assembly, to the whole school, which includes Reception (where DD is, but she has the bladder capacity of an elephant so unlikely to be an issue for her). I think the teachers of the really little ones are actually pretty flexible, but I'm concerned about giving them something else to feel anxious about, whatever their age. Also the whole hydration thing: DS is pretty laid back and if he is "only drinking when I have to", when we've drummed into him "if you're thirsty you've left it too late" then I wonder if that's a common reaction?