School toilets

[greyandwhiteclouds]

My ds has just started high school and reports that the toilets are "gender neutral" in that there is one room and a boys side and a girls side with just a low wall separating the two sides. So basically they're in the same room which he is uncomfortable with.

The block he's in has literally just been built but I've just looked up the Gov guidance for school premises and it says that boys and girls should have separate toilets over the age of 8 so how is this ok?

I'd try and verify this (is there a site layout plan anywhere? ) but then contact the school if it's true, and I'd use the term "mixed-sex" rather than "gender-neutral" as it's the sex that is the issue. If they insist on referring to gender ask them to clarify what they mean by the term (some use it as interchangeable with 'sex').

Depending on how far you get, ask for the risk assessment and if they have insurance or of their insurers has been informed of the change.

When you establish the lay out , contact safe schools alliance or look at their website they have some template letters

Thank you everyone, I'll have another chat with ds and contact the school in the first instance to confirm the layout.

Poor boy doesn't want to use the toilets and I can't imagine the girls are very keen either.

Usually when they are like this, each loo is in its own enclosed room. So not a stall like usual public loos, but completely enclosed with a proper door on each and no gaps. The sinks are then communal in the middle.

There are plenty of variations of this which are perfectly legal and are preferable in many schools to cut down incidents of misbehaviour. It reduced the area where staff are unable to properly monitor and cuts out excuses. 3 teens can legitimately go in to a single sex toilets where there are cubicles, but there is no excuse for 3 teens to go in to an individual toilet. A female member of staff can deal with misbehaviour in the central areas, but wouldn't be able to enter the boys toilets in a traditional set up (except in an emergency obvs).