School toilets redesign - help please

[Catabogus]

I know that there are some very well-informed people here about safety of toilet designs as well as the importance of single-sex loos, so I’d love some advice on how to respond to this consultation from my DCs’ secondary school please.

The school has proposed the following:

a) Sixth form boys’ toilets and Block A’s girls’ toilets all to be replaced with new gender-neutral toilets with a wash basin in each cubicle;

b) Boys’ and girls’ toilets outside the canteen to stay single-sex but be replaced with open-plan toilet areas, improving security, access and efficiency.

c) All cubicles to be fitted with floor-to-ceiling partitions and doors, with guards fitted to doors to ensure privacy;

d) All cubicles in the female only toilets to have wash basins installed in each cubicle;

e) Enhanced CCTV monitoring of communal areas.

I am concerned about replacing single-sex loos with unisex ones in point (a) but also about the fitting of full length doors in (c) as I gather this can have safety implications too. If anyone could point me in the right direction of some material to quote in my response, I would be very grateful!

Also if there’s anything else I’ve missed that might be an issue - eg I’m not quite sure what are “open plan toilet areas” in point (b) and whether these might be problematic (I also don’t really understand how these fit with floor-to-ceiling cubicles containing wash basins).

Thank you very much indeed!

Sorry I commented earlier and was just repeating myself...😬

This is the reality of a ‘gender neutral bathroom’ as told by a student: ‘Whether it is people having sex, poop smeared on the walls, or the toilet being clogged with an entire roll of toilet paper, horrible things have happened in that bathroom.’

Their answer was more ‘gender neutral bathrooms’: ‘The sex and vaping that is currently concentrated in just four gender neutral bathrooms would be spread between six bathrooms instead.’

It’s the grim acceptance that gets me.

Thank you @Keeptoiletssafe Your careful information gathering and persistence is really appreciated.

@Catabogus Interesting that they're planning washbasins inside the cubicles. Most examples of these mixed sex toilets I've seen so far have been shared handwashing, which is quite clearly against the regulations here in Wales at least. (I think the English regs are a little less clear)

If the problem is bullying and phone misuse, how about we deal with those rather than going 'oh let's create some lockable boxes so that drug taking, sex, bullying and harassment etc can take place in greater privacy, and include sinks so that the kids can make more mess'? As others, and particularly @Keeptoiletssafe have pointed out, creating more fully enclosed spaces creates much worse safety and hygiene problems that simply can't be justified.

I've never seen any study that actually examines whether these mixed sex open plan layouts do improve bullying. It's not evidence based at all.

I think in many cases schools have been told they have to do it because they must be inclusive of trans and non binary students. This really isn't right. The law says that schools must provide boys and girls toilets. Schools are free to provide a unisex option third option if they want. Why should the solution be for everyone to be forced into mixed sex loos?

This report from Merched Cymru goes through the issues with mixed sex toilets.
Mixed sex toilets in Wales' schools – breaking the law - Merched Cymru

Just to say thank you so much for all the comments and helpful analysis on this. I filled in the consultation (at length!) based on many of the excellent points raised here, and am waiting to hear back.

Please keep us informed!

The DfE know my arguments by now (!!) unfortunately my FOI requests have been met by:
‘Following a search of the Department's
paper and electronic records, I have established that the information you requested is not held by this Department.’

I have asked who does hold the information I requested ie the equality impact assessments and risk assessments. They haven’t got back to me.

When I speak to people on the phone they agree and understand. When I write in by email, no one knows anything.

I will eat my words if anyone has ever done a proper health and safety analysis on the secondary school toilet designs in the school output specification. I really have looked. How can they justify that making them private is more important than making sure children are safe inside the cubicle?

@Catabogus If they come back and say any of the designs fit with the latest school output specification say that they don’t need to stick to that. They just have to say it their school specific brief why.

@WhatAMessWales 👍 great report. I have noticed that the education press are saying vaping is the big new threat in the enclosed private loos. Some schools install alarms in each cubicle then turn them off at exam times as they go off so frequently. They have tried smoke detectors now heat detectors and more cctv. Pupils with asthma are compromised. With vapes being spiked it’s only a matter of time before more goes wrong.