School toilets

[Sweetheart1990]

School toilets!
Son text me to say he had walked out of lesson after being refused permission to go to the toilet, he had finished all his work. I have always told him to do this if he is desperate but he never actually has before.
He has been put in isolation.
I'm angry as I really believe that students should be allowed to go when they need to and he had completed all tasks so was just say in the classroom anyway.
What does everyone else think?

I used to work for a factory that made their admin stafe work above the lines. so we had to garb up and walk all the way to production to get to our office. it took 15bto 20 mins to walk to the toilets aswell as change our garb so we tried our very best to hold going go the toilet but inverditely damaged our bladders by doing that. many women sufferd from bladder leaks utis etc. I myslef ( even though I left that company 8 years ago ) have had damage done and been seeing a urology specialist to resolve my issues. it all stems on not having access to a toilet easily. I know have botox in my bladder on medication as well as getting pelvic floor exercises - it has caused alot of stress as well as expenses and affect on my day to day life. when i was interviewing for a new job one of the questions was where is my desk based and how close the toilet is. got strange looks but there was a reason..i always need to know where the nearest toilet is now. holding off going to the toilet can do serious damage to your bladder before I worked in that place never had any issues with my bladder

There was a whole other class full of children it doesn’t matter if your son had finished his work the issue is if he was allowed to go then others would want to go too!!
This attitude is the reason teachers are leaving in droves!!

This.

Parents are a nightmare these days.
Encouraging their kids to disregard rules and discipline. Ringing school, visiting school, demanding to speak to an overwhelmed busy teacher about every perceived " problem".
Constantly wasting time on vexatious complaints from parents with a taste for confrontation and nothing better to do.

Completely agree! It’s no wonder kids have no respect for others as it’s just the attitude of I’ll tell my mum and she’ll have a go at school!

The toilets at the local secondary are all unisex separate rooms, floor to ceiling walls with no gaps.

The result is that it’s practically impossible to find an empty one as they are occupied by children vaping for the entirety of break.

Many children don’t drink throughout the day because they know they won’t be able to go.

Your toilets were a mile away????
Sorry - I find that very hard to believe.

My son has always been taught not to be rude or disrespectful. He knows that I wouldn't back him if he was in the wrong with something like that. Asking to go to the toilet is not the same, and being punished for leaving when refused permission is wrong.

Ridiculous rules like this are what make some kids and their parents lose respect for a school.
Your poor son , i know someone much older who had this most awful experience she told me how it had affected her.

I would absolutely get up and excuse myself. I cannot imagine where you work that you could not ask for a comfort break 😳

I don’t know how many more times I can say this!
School will have a blanket policy, if they let one child go then the rest of the class will want to go!
As a parent you need to be backing school up and using this as a learning situation! Next time he needs to go before lessons/ at an appropriate time!

I would! No one can concentrate if they need to urinate. It’s not Victorian times.
The ONLY place I have ever worked where this was frowned upon was a chocolate factory, as with all the relevant hygiene controls it took too long and the whole line had to shut down.

By the time you walked across all walkway that you were allowed to walk and then undress from your garb and go to the toilet, it did take that length of time, we were measured on time by our manager in our fight to move our office from where it was. We wasted so much time walking back and forth to our locker rooms to go to the toilet to go to the canteen and to go meetings up there, But no our plant director thought we were needed to sit above the factory lines. He left shortly after i left and low and behold all admin were moved from the factory floor

What kind of school does that happen at?? A bit of chatter likely but fights and things being destroyed??

But yiu dint know why the teacher said No.

They might have had an annoncenent to make. Or about to give out homework. Or had an alert asking children to stay in classrooms due to a situation. Or your child had interrupted them or was tenth chikd to ask. Or it was 2 mins from the end of kesson.

You have just decided your child is more important and could leave the classroom at any time.
And allowed to break mobile phone rules.

I have had a really difficult day in school today due to repeated requests to go to the toilet. It’s so incredibly disruptive and ruins the flow of the lesson. It’s also a domino effect as once you let one person go, three others will ask. As a female teacher who has been teaching since I was 24, I’ve never left a class to go to the toilet.
In my previous school, toilets were locked after two 13 year olds were caught having sex in toilets after daily occurrences of vandalism, vaping, truancy and bullying.
It is a very tricky question. I’d always support the school.

I would and I have.

So would I, I haven't got a gallbladder, the consequences could be dire if I'm not allowed to use the toilet.

In your case you would absolutely be allowed a toilet pass, as a reasonable adjustment due to a medical condition.

Some schools don't allow toilet breaks during first lesson, after break or lunch as in theory they should have just been able to go.
toilets are a massive issue in schools. I can have 20 people ask to go in one lesson. I don't let them immediately unless they have a medical card, but will speak to them quietly and ask if they can wait or wait until a better time. The biggest problem is that they know argue with 'it's my right' etc and other class members join in. It has become really disruptive and is more often than not the same kids - in every lesson.
I don't know the answer but 90% of the time it is not about needing a wee!

This.

Can you imagine the chaos as others said if all the kids were given free rein to pop off to the loo as and when they 'wanted'. Desperation or no desperation ... how is the teacher to know.

The problem is that many pupils chose when they have a
weak bladder'! They are capable of going to the cinema, a football match, a concert and not having to rush to the toilet with their 'weak bladder', that seems only to be a problem in school, can't imagine why! Modern bodies seem to work differently, in 7 years at school, many many years ago, I don't recall it being a problem, you went before lessons or between lessons, similarly periods sound to be mini Niagaras needing constant emergency dashes to the loo!

I think that discipline has to be followed and that pupils walking out of lessons because they need the toilets cannot be allowed. Going to the toilet is a lesson disruption tactic used by children in that one will ask and then another and then another...so that the lesson is halted or prevented from starting. A child should not be so desperate to go for a wee/pee that they cannot last till the end of the lesson and having finished your work is no excuse for walking out of the room. You have taught your son that rules do not apply to him - and this could have devastating consequences for his life.
NB Were he a girl needing to change sanitary products the problem is a little different, but again, a girl who is menstruating should change a product at break/lunch so that she does not need to leave a lesson - a woman teacher who is menstruating cannot just leave the lesson, after all. If a girl's flow is so heavy she may need to leave a lesson she should speak to a female teacher, probably her form tutor (if male then e.g. ask to speak to the teacher in the form next door), and explain so that she can have a note attached to whatever behaviour/notebook the school provides for behaviour matters.

No...not all of the kids....but it only takes a few to ruin things for others...

Why did he not go to the toilet at break time? It can be disruptive, I teach primary and never let them use the loo during class time.

Timing your wees to go ‘in case’ is exactly what causes weak bladder. Not surprised these kids bladders are weak if they are going on arrival, every break and lunch.