Has anyone objected to gender neutral toilets and got them changed?

[Ellacott]

My dd’s school is planning a new building, with only gender neutral toilets. I think this is wrong and I intend to object, but I can’t say I have much hope of having an effect. I’m not a natural activist or organiser. Can anyone give me a bit of a boost?

Yes good luck and please let us know what happens.

There are 2 approved designs for toilets, single sex with shared washbasins, and single occupancy which are self contained with floor to ceiling walls and doors, and can be used by either sex.
Any toilet cubicle used by women or girls over the age of 8 must contain a sanitary waste bin.

pg 47 - 52.
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/441786/BR_PDF_AD_M2_2015.pdf

Small update - I emailed the school and have had this response:

Please find below the latest guidance for school provision of toilets as set out by the DFE

General planning Toilet facilities need to be planned and designed so that: a) hand washing facilities are provided within or in the immediate vicinity of every toilet; b) the rooms containing them are adequately ventilated and lit; c) they are located in areas around the school that provide easy access for pupils and allow for informal supervision by staff, without compromising pupils’ privacy. Where there is unisex provision (under ISS 23A (1) (b) or SPR 4 (2)), the privacy of the occupant needs to be ensured and this will be achieved by, for example, having adequate enclosure and a full height door.

I can confirm that adequate enclosure, a full height door, a room that can be secured from the inside and that is intended for use by one pupil at a time and informal staff supervision has all be included within the plan

I can also confirm that single sex toilets will remain within all existing buildings, so students will have the options of using those if that is their preference.
We also operate designated Year 7 single sex toilets.

I have replied asking them if they are categorising the individual cubicles as ‘rooms’ because I can’t see how it fits otherwise, and also asked them how the informal supervision is going to happen.

I also said if they could see the need for single sex facilities elsewhere then they should realise that girls will be disadvantaged by having to walk to a separate building.

Omg this is horrendous!
Quite apart from the mess, I've seen girls in schools darting to toilets with blood stained trousers/skirts...I've been outside cubicles when friends have started periods, calling to me to get them a pad...What if girls need to use the tampon machine? What if there are free sanitary products out as I believe some charities are fighting for in schools? The boys will just steal them as it's hilarious.
Teenage girls can have a horrific time of periods, the least we can do is give them a safe haven of toilets they don't need to leave the building for!
If it's a 2 storey building they could have boys on one level and girls on the other.
I wish you loads of luck with your fight OP xx

I've just realised I'm a friend of a city councillor in the neighbouring ward to yours. She's a secondary school teacher, I'm going to mention this to her.

Questions tO ask will include whether girls will be penalised for taking longer to access the single sex toilets during lessons/break.

Whether there will be increased cleaning to clean pee off the floor and seat.

Whether they are aware of the possibility of phones under the door.

Isn't it interesting that the majority of architects are men. I wonder how many men were involved in these plans and how many women

I had a dear friend who was an architect and she said plugs were always put at floor level because the male architects never plugged in Vacuum cleaners 😁

@Ellacott

I also said if they could see the need for single sex facilities elsewhere then they should realise that girls will be disadvantaged by having to walk to a separate building.

Also make sure they are putting a sanitary bin inside every cubicle...

Success! I have had this response from the school:

Although we have taken advice from architects, DFE guidance and legal advice that our initial plans do meet statutory requirements, following this consultation period, we can now confirm that the plans have been changed to single sex toilets. As soon as we have the revised architect drawings we will update our website.

It sounds like they have had enough complaints about their plans to make them change their minds 🙂

Interesting that they still claim their original plans met the requirements, but I guess I won’t be having that conversation with them now.

Crazy world we live in now! Leave the toilets alone, separate male and female has worked absolutely fine for a very long time. It makes no sense to change it. For safety keep them separate!!

@Ellacott

I’ve DM’d you on this

Back atcha @HermioneWeasley 😄

There was a post in another thread from a secondary teachers who'd nipped into 'gender neutral' (mixed sex) student toilets for an emergency tampon change and had two big lads who'd listened for the cellophane rustle banging on the door and hollering. And in the same thread, I think, a comment that the sanpro that was always left in the girls loo was just instantly scattered about and trashed in mixed sex loos, presumably by the boys, as the girls had always respected and appreciated it.

Perhaps that poster has already been in touch.

As a lifelong educator, I would just add two powerful words you can use:

STUDENT VOICE

Ask the SLT if the students have been consulted about what they want and feel comfortable with. Ask the named person who leads on safeguarding. Ask the governing body. Ask if a trusted female staff member can set up a focus group of girls to discuss what they feel using about mixed sex toilets. This person should show the plan to the girls - they may have no idea. The girls should ideally visit a similar school nearby to look at mixed sex toilets.

Sitting down with their dropped trousers trailing in a puddle of carelessly splashed male urine must not be come girls' daily lot!

I'd go to the barricades on this one.

Gender neutral toilets would be just fine if students were gender neutral too, but they tend to divide into two sexes!

Well done on influencing the school's change of mind and plan. Don't relax; there will be cost implications to the change and no doubt pressure to revert to the original plan will come. I think the architects need to hear Student Voice on this issue regardless; they will be planning other schools besides yours. 👍

Thanks @NearlyGranny, I’ll be keeping an eye on the situation. They said they will be updating the plans on the website so will be looking out for that. As far as I can tell, unless they want to put urinals in the boys toilets then all that needs to change on the plan is to allocate the toilets properly.

OP you're a

Good news - following consultation they are going with single sex facilities!

Objecting works!

Yes it’s great isn’t it? There must have been quite a few of us getting in contact 😀

Congratulations - great news

Well done! Fantastic work Ellacott!

Excellent, well done.

This is superb @Ellacott, well done!

That's excellent.

Is it this school?

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8623019/amp/Furious-parents-blast-secondary-school-opening-gender-neutral-toilets-without-telling-them.html?twitterr_impression=true

Congratulations, Ellacott. You’ve saved a lot of girls from everyday embarrassment at best, with a serious risk of urinary infections from trying not to pee till they get home.
Have a on me!