Secondary school introduces "girls" toilets

[Snowbeau]

Sent to me by a friend, a secondary school has refurbed their toilet block with cubicles for "girls" and "boys" and non specified. The sinks are in the communal bathroom area not in cubicles.

Comments are quoting that it's now law that these toilets are put into schools. Can anyone verify?

The configuration you describe is not legal for over 8s.
womansplaceuk.org/mixed-sex-toilets-ins-chools/

Mmm. I see more urinary infections and absenteeism on the horizon.

Comments are quoting that it's now law that these toilets are put into schools

It's the law that they're not. See link upthread.

What is meant by cubicle? Is it a fully enclosed room? That would be ok.

The guidance seems to suggest shared washing facilities are ok.

What do they mean by “boy” and “girl”?

Do the “non-specified” have sanpro bins.

Actually does the “boys” or “girls” have a sanpro bin?

Sorry if I’m being dim, this really confuses me.

@noblegiraffe

What is meant by cubicle? Is it a fully enclosed room? That would be ok.

The guidance seems to suggest shared washing facilities are ok.

Which is lovely when you come out with a bloody finger from inserting a tampon/menstrual cup or sorting a leak of some sort. Nothing like having to come out the cubicle to wash that in front of teenage boys.

This is my DDs' school. I am not happy and have written to them.

Jesus this is appalling. I had a leak on my skirt (never happened before) and had to find a loo to fix it. I can not imagine how that would have worked in a mixed loo even though I was in the cubicle. And I'm a hardened adult. What the fuck is wrong with these people?

Complain and get other parents to. This is beyond dangerous.

@noblegiraffe

What is meant by cubicle? Is it a fully enclosed room? That would be ok.

The guidance seems to suggest shared washing facilities are ok.

No, it's a shared room with cubicles that have open top and bottom. They've basically just relabelled a girls' toilet block as 'gender neutral', then taken 4 of the girls' toilets and labelled them 'boy's' (1) and 'neutral' (3).

So a girl gets a choice of a specifically labelled girls' toilet, but next to neutral ones, or a 'neutral' toilet.

Why is it so often the children being pushed to the sharp end of this struggle? Is it because their voices are more easily silenced?

The law is being broken here.

The sinks are communal.

But communal sinks don’t appear to break the law.

When I saw the headline I thought, oh lovely! Single sex!
But then of course it depends on "what is a girl"!

Oh but those cubicles do.

@noblegiraffe

But communal sinks don’t appear to break the law.

No, they don’t. But the fact that the cubicles are not floor to ceiling, and have gaps at the top and bottom, does.

I would say no to the sinks being mixed sex because that is where you wash the bloodstain out of your skirt when you are getting the hang of menstruating.

Also why is it that the girls’ loos are being converted?

Changing sanitary protection is tough enough at school, I can remember trying really hard to open tampons etc silently and hoping someone would flush the chain, just as I was using the noisy sanitary bin!
I would have hated to deal with that in a mixed environment

Im only ok with it as long as nearby access to single sex loos

I'd be asking what provisions there are for dealing with menstruation because this doesn't seem appropriate

@Lougle

This is my DDs' school. I am not happy and have written to them.

Is it correct that the boys toilets have been left alone and it is just the girls toilets that have been changed? Are there other single sex female toilets available?

The school are directly discriminating on the grounds of 'sex' according to the equality act.

That means your dd has a case against them.

I'd write stating that and asking for her to have access tot he staff toilets.

Why does the college put the words boys and girls in quotation marks?

What's going on there then?

@ramblingsonthego

"Is it correct that the boys toilets have been left alone and it is just the girls toilets that have been changed? Are there other single sex female toilets available?"

In W Block, there are only girls' toilets, and it is those toilets that have been changed. Ordinarily, you'd be right that there are other toilet blocks available. However, because of Covid, the school is being split into 'zones' and year 9 will only be able to use the W Block toilets.

My daughter was finding it hard enough when it was girls' toilets. She had to have a toilet pass because she was holding her bladder and not drinking. She has ASD. There is no way at all that she will go to the toilet during her period if there is a possibility that a male student is sat next to her, separated by a bit of chipboard.

You should name the school here. This is outrageous.