Mixed-sex toilets in schools - children's actual views?

[Oldstyle]

Do we know what kids actually think about this? Planners & policy-makers seem to feel it's not a problem, and that it lessens bullying (no idea how) although it is currently illegal in Wales for children over 8 years old apparently.
Lleisiau Merched Cymru/Women's Voices Wales are asking for feedback from girls (or boys) who have mixed-sex toilets in their schools. Ideally from Wales but also from other parts of the UK. So is there any real-life evidence either way?

My DS has mixed sex toilets at his new-build secondary school.

He doesn't like it and says he tries to never use them

So who in Hell does like it?

Perverts?

Funny you should say that... the infamous Balldemort's proposals to his local township meeting included putting signs on all the school bathroom doors saying "Trans People Welcome."

That and, obviously, tampon machines.

LGBT Youth Scotland found some young trans people choose to go home to use the toilet or refuse to drink during the school day, which it said had “obvious implications for their health and wellbeing, attendance and attainment”.

Oh, this has me so angry given the context of the rest of this thread. It's clear that mixed-sex toilets have exactly this effect on girls but apparently nobody bloody cares about girl's health and wellbeing.

Having read the article it is noteworthy that if the toilets are segregated then transgender students don't drink in the day etc, but then if they are not then many other pupils won't use them.

Surely this just strengthens the case for a 3rd space, no pupil should be in the position where they feel unable to use the toilet during the day, especially (biological) girls.

x posted

Interesting Dothehappydance (love the name!)... is your DD just a generally laid-back soul maybe?
And interesting that boys aren't keen either, on their own account and/or on behalf of the female pupils. Makes you wonder where the notion that this is a good thing actually comes from. Not from girls or their parents it would seem.

She is fairly laid back (if not a little grumpy).

The school building is about 8 years old and from what she will tell me (when not rolling her eyes) is that there are no separate toilet blocks. The only place I presume there is is in the sports centre as that is also a community sports centre.

Neither of mine would want to use mixed sex toilets.

DD would simply refuse to use them

DS would use them but feel embarassed

I'll try to find the legal ref for you OldCrone. I'm always quoting references from social media that turn out to not actually exist so it would be useful to check this one out!

Here's the reference OldCrone - from the piece on mixed-sex toilets on the WPUK site.

'School toilets in Wales are covered by different legislation. The Education (School Premises) 1999 regulations still apply, and they clearly state:
“Except as provided in regulation 4(3), washrooms for male and female pupils who have attained the age of 8 years shall be separate.”
Regulation 4 (3) refers to the provision of facilities for disabled staff and pupils.
There is no ambiguity in the Welsh regulations: schools must provide separate male and female toilets for pupils over the age of 8.'

Thanks, Oldstyle. I knew that the more recent legislation only applied to England, but I hadn't found the older legislation which still applies in Wales.

Oh yuck, no. I have to use the toilet at home after my son and husband and that's bad enough. I don't want to subject my daughter to that at school.

Several secondary schools in my local area changed to mixed sex toilets over the summer. All have now reverted back to single sex after complaints from pupils and parents. Girls were avoiding going to the toilet all day and some were staying off when they had their period.

I just asked my 11 year old y6 DD, she pulled this face and shook her head. She’ll be going to a single sex secondary so it’s not something she’s thankfully going to encounter.

This is yet another example of an agenda being pushed, one which is clearly in contravention of regulations which say that single sex facilities must be provided. This also applies to workplaces.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/410294/Advice_on_standards_for_school_premises.pdf

www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/1943/made

That is from 2012, England and Wales and defines separate facilities for boys and girls over 8 except where the facilities are provided in a room that can be secured from the inside and is only intended for one pupil at a time.

Do the teachers and other staff at these schools use mixed-sex toilets too? Or is it just the kids being experimented on in this way.

What's good for the goose?

. She’ll be going to a single sex secondary so it’s not something she’s thankfully going to encounter.

But will boys be allowed to go to the school if they self-ID?

Me and dh have separate loos at home . We are both happy that way. That’s because me and him use the toilet with separate issues that we respect of each other. His because he genuinely believes he gets all his wee in the toilet every time (he doesn’t) and me because I have 1000x sanitary products around required for my ridiculously heavy periods. I know I can run to the loo without piss and whatever anywhere at any time. And my loo definitely smells nicer than his and they get cleaned equally by our cleaner. I’d be super annoyed if I had to share a loo with the opposite sex outside my home.

I also worked in a tiny office (ten of us in whole building) with two loos and then men openly joked about how smelly their loo was after they’d use it. I can’t see much has changed and that was ten years ago.

As I said on the other thread. I teach at a primary school with mixed sex toilets. Whilst I'm not sure how the kids feel about using them I can say there has been no problems. They are not allowed to go in lesson times only break and lunch. Bullying rates have decreased too.

Comp teacher here and tutor to 15-16 year olds (32 in my reg class).

Unanimous decision "No"

I even heard a "Fuck that" and "no fucking way" in the back row so they had the glare (soon apologised) but they said they felt so strongly about it that the swear slipped out.

KHTeach Are you in the UK? If so, are you aware that children over 8 years of age, should, by law, have single sex toilets?

My dd is 13. She has mixed toilets at her secondary school. She strongly dislikes them for a variety of reasons. She said that she and her friends sometimes find it embarrassing when they have their periods and need to borrow sanitary protection off each other and/or get a bit of blood on their hands which they need to wash off.

DD also says that her Muslim friends struggle because there is nowhere in the main school building where there is a mirror for them to adjust their hijabs when they need to - the only place they can go is the girls' changing room in the sports hall, which is quite a trek and impossible to reach during the short morning break.

Just asked DS 11 y6 what he thinks of the idea of mixed sex toilets at school. Direct quote

‘I’d find it worrying. It’d be weird because I wouldn’t want girls in the toilet when I’m doing my business.’