Quick reassurance needed please

[BlackAlys]

Return to school today and pupils toilets have changed to unisex toilets.

This surely isn't legal? Furious.

It was my understanding that these mixed sex toilets opening to the corridor are nothing to do with privacy and dignity but disguised as a deterrent to bullying and loitering? As the wash area has no doors off to the corridor it apparently prevents this. But it is still a shit idea.
Girls (and boys) need to seek out the single sex provision to give a message.
I like the idea of the survey. Can also be done free on Survey Monkey. Does the area have a Spotted Facebook? Perhaps this could be used if an in school one is not possible.
Could you ask to see the minutes of the meeting where this was discussed? There must be some kind of paper trail to explain the decision, it would have still cost some money to take the wall down and change the basins and alter the entrance. Good luck with your meeting tomorrow. Is there anyone that could go with you to take notes (and moral support). Print off hard copies of the Safe Schools Alliance stuff if you can.

@FemaleAndLearning

It was my understanding that these mixed sex toilets opening to the corridor are nothing to do with privacy and dignity but disguised as a deterrent to bullying and loitering? As the wash area has no doors off to the corridor it apparently prevents this. But it is still a shit idea. Girls (and boys) need to seek out the single sex provision to give a message. I like the idea of the survey. Can also be done free on Survey Monkey. Does the area have a Spotted Facebook? Perhaps this could be used if an in school one is not possible. Could you ask to see the minutes of the meeting where this was discussed? There must be some kind of paper trail to explain the decision, it would have still cost some money to take the wall down and change the basins and alter the entrance. Good luck with your meeting tomorrow. Is there anyone that could go with you to take notes (and moral support). Print off hard copies of the Safe Schools Alliance stuff if you can.

Still reading. Thank you. I'll update tomorrow night. Hopefully it will be a productive meeting and will leave it knowing that my position is still secure (it's crap that we should still be feeling like this).

A survey for pupils is a good idea.
Asking for the minutes of the governors meeting is also a good idea.

@littlbrowndog

But who is asking for these toilets in schools

Are the kids saying we need theses toilets.

It’s strange how this happening and just why this is happening

That's a good point.

It's not the children. They all seem to hate them.

It's not the parents. They seem concerned about it, especially when their daughters say they don't drink during the day to try to avoid having to use them.

It's not the teachers.

Is it because they're members of Stonewall's schools champion scheme, and Stonewall are telling them that this is 'progressive'?

Definitely a good idea to ask to see the minutes of the meeting(s) where this was discussed and decided.

Is it because they're members of Stonewall's schools champion scheme, and Stonewall are telling them that this is 'progressive'?

And how, when schools are constantly fund raising , asking for donations of tissues, loo.roll, soap, toys, spare clothes etc and there's zero money for equipment desperately needed, there is sudden money fir stonewall subscriptions, new mixed sex toilets and staff magically appear to supervise these new mixed sex areas.

I presume there's suddenly more staff because these staff weren't present when the areas were single sex and allegedly rife bullying .

And also what is it about thse new mixed sex areas that mean more supervision is required so that nothing happens and it can be declared success🤔

@BlackAlys there's a big thread on this very issue on Twitter at the moment - I've never had so many Twitter notifications. Dwi'n dilyn rhywun gydag enw tebyg i ti ar Twitter (a hithau'n dilyn fi) - falle taw ti yw e?! Fydde ti'n fodlon danfon neges breifat i fi gyda enw'r ysgol os gweli di'n dda? Diolch a phob lwc gyda'r cyfarfod yfory.

(Totally thread-irrelevant whoop here as I’ve been trying to learn Welsh for about a year and could read that!)

Ahem. Sorry. As you were.

[quote mejon]@BlackAlys there's a big thread on this very issue on Twitter at the moment - I've never had so many Twitter notifications. Dwi'n dilyn rhywun gydag enw tebyg i ti ar Twitter (a hithau'n dilyn fi) - falle taw ti yw e?! Fydde ti'n fodlon danfon neges breifat i fi gyda enw'r ysgol os gweli di'n dda? Diolch a phob lwc gyda'r cyfarfod yfory.[/quote]
Hia, na, nid fi yw hwnna - edrychai nawr - os modd cael linc?

@MistandMud

(Totally thread-irrelevant whoop here as I’ve been trying to learn Welsh for about a year and could read that!)

Ahem. Sorry. As you were.

Haha nice one.

Or, da iawn I should say 👍

@BlackAlys link sent via DM (gobeithio!)

@Whatwouldscullydo

Is it because they're members of Stonewall's schools champion scheme, and Stonewall are telling them that this is 'progressive'?

And how, when schools are constantly fund raising , asking for donations of tissues, loo.roll, soap, toys, spare clothes etc and there's zero money for equipment desperately needed, there is sudden money fir stonewall subscriptions, new mixed sex toilets and staff magically appear to supervise these new mixed sex areas.

I presume there's suddenly more staff because these staff weren't present when the areas were single sex and allegedly rife bullying .

And also what is it about thse new mixed sex areas that mean more supervision is required so that nothing happens and it can be declared success🤔

This aspect of the issue really baffles me, too, and it’s really important.

If a school already has single sex toilets for its pupils and staff that, bar the odd horror story regarding lack of cleanliness especially in the boys’ loos that my DS tells me about, what’s the justification for constructing new mixed-sex toilets when, as you say, schools are constantly fund raising for new sports equipment, holding bake sales and raffles for new materials etc? I just don’t understand how, from a purely financial point of view, these non-essential structural works are approved?