https://x.com/ThePosieParker/status/2028439742082121859
If anyone has any clue what the list of non compliant schools is, I'd love to know if my favourite is on there...
Dear Headteacher and Governors, We write on behalf of Let Women Speak regarding your school’s provision of open-plan, mixed-sex toilet facilities with shared sinks. It has come to our attention that the school has replaced or failed to provide sex-separated toilets for pupils over the age of eight. As you will be aware, the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 require separate toilet facilities for boys and girls aged eight and above, and separate changing facilities for pupils aged eleven and above. These are statutory obligations, not optional guidance. Open-plan, mixed-sex facilities do not meet this requirement. Nor does the installation of unisex toilets discharge a school’s duty where sex-separated provision is legally mandated. For clarity, a “single-occupancy” toilet means a fully self-contained room intended for use by one person at a time, with a floor-to-ceiling door and walls that ensure complete privacy, capable of being locked from the inside. It is not sufficient to have cubicles opening onto a shared, mixed-sex sink area. True single-occupancy provision requires that the toilet, sink, and means of drying hands (such as paper towels or a hand dryer) are all located within the same enclosed, lockable space. This ensures privacy and dignity throughout the entire process of toileting and handwashing. Beyond legal compliance, there are safeguarding and dignity concerns. Adolescent girls are entitled to privacy, bodily dignity, and single-sex spaces at school. Open-plan, mixed-sex arrangements compromise these protections and risk placing girls in situations that are distressing, embarrassing, or unsafe. Schools have a clear safeguarding duty to protect the welfare and wellbeing of all pupils, including the specific needs of girls. We therefore formally request: Confirmation of how the school believes its current toilet arrangements comply with statutory regulations. A timeline for reinstating fully compliant single-sex toilet facilities for girls and boys. Details of any safeguarding risk assessment conducted prior to implementing the current design. If the school is unable to demonstrate compliance, we expect urgent remedial action. Failing this, we will consider raising the matter with the local authority, governors, and the Department for Education. Girls’ rights to privacy and dignity are not negotiable. Schools must uphold both the law and their safeguarding responsibilities. We look forward to your prompt response. Yours faithfully, Let Women SpeakDear Headteacher and Governors,
We write on behalf of Let Women Speak regarding your school’s provision of open-plan, mixed-sex toilet facilities with shared sinks.
It has come to our attention that the school has replaced or failed to provide sex-separated toilets for pupils over the age of eight. As you will be aware, the School Premises (England) Regulations 2012 require separate toilet facilities for boys and girls aged eight and above, and separate changing facilities for pupils aged eleven and above. These are statutory obligations, not optional guidance.
Open-plan, mixed-sex facilities do not meet this requirement. Nor does the installation of unisex toilets discharge a school’s duty where sex-separated provision is legally mandated.
For clarity, a “single-occupancy” toilet means a fully self-contained room intended for use by one person at a time, with a floor-to-ceiling door and walls that ensure complete privacy, capable of being locked from the inside. It is not sufficient to have cubicles opening onto a shared, mixed-sex sink area. True single-occupancy provision requires that the toilet, sink, and means of drying hands (such as paper towels or a hand dryer) are all located within the same enclosed, lockable space. This ensures privacy and dignity throughout the entire process of toileting and handwashing.
Beyond legal compliance, there are safeguarding and dignity concerns. Adolescent girls are entitled to privacy, bodily dignity, and single-sex spaces at school. Open-plan, mixed-sex arrangements compromise these protections and risk placing girls in situations that are distressing, embarrassing, or unsafe. Schools have a clear safeguarding duty to protect the welfare and wellbeing of all pupils, including the specific needs of girls.
We therefore formally request:
Confirmation of how the school believes its current toilet arrangements comply with statutory regulations.
A timeline for reinstating fully compliant single-sex toilet facilities for girls and boys.
Details of any safeguarding risk assessment conducted prior to implementing the current design.
If the school is unable to demonstrate compliance, we expect urgent remedial action. Failing this, we will consider raising the matter with the local authority, governors, and the Department for Education.
Girls’ rights to privacy and dignity are not negotiable. Schools must uphold both the law and their safeguarding responsibilities.
We look forward to your prompt response.
Yours faithfully,
Let Women Speak